Hoggar Mountains

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Iharen, phonolite in Tamanrasset

The Ahaggar ( Hoggar also, Arabic جبال هقار ) is a mountain of volcanic origin in southern Algeria. Largely the Ahaggar is located in Algeria, but also covers parts of the Niger to the south and north-eastern Libya.

Nature and Culture

Its highest mountain ( 3003 m) is the Tahath in Atakor volcanic field. The Ahaggar is known for its bizarre rock formations, where it is with respect to its striking elevations of eroded volcanic vents. The Ahaggar is on the level of the Tropic of Cancer, about 1500 km south of the Algerian capital Algiers. The area is predominantly inhabited by the Tuareg. Its area covers about the size of France, as it extends west- east to almost 2,100 km from north to south along a 1500 km. The largest oasis of Tamanrasset is Ahaggarregion. More inhabited oases are Ideles, Hirhafok, In Ekker and Titus

The summit of the mountain Assekrem is a particularly frequently visited place because there Charles de Foucauld has built a hermitage in 1911.

In the 1960s, was In Ekker nuclear weapons test site of the French nuclear weapons program in Algeria. Radioactive fallout contaminated the terrain and vast tracts of land.

Fauna

Located just west of the Ahaggar in the Teffedest Mountains survived into the 20th century, occurring in various rock engravings African wild dog. However, it seems now to be extinct in this region. Extremely rare cheetahs are still to be found.

Cultural Significance

From the Ahaggar numerous petroglyphs are known. Archaeological remains confirm the settlement since the Paleolithic era. There are rock paintings and engravings obtained which indicate that prehistoric settlement already existed around 6000 BC. The Ahaggar massif is particularly the habitat of the Kel Ahaggar. The grave of Tin Hinan, an ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa near Tamanrasset. She was the mythical ancestor and the first queen of the Ahaggar Tuareg in the region and founded the Community of the Kel Ahaggar.

Surroundings

The Ahaggargebirge consists mainly of mountains of volcanic origin. Hot summers and cold winters characterize the climate conditions. Rain falls at best sporadic and is a rarity dar. In the Ahaggar region are some of the high dry forests of the Sahara. Nevertheless, a biodiversity has trained that it was able to promote a barely surviving biodiversity. Today, the region is a National Park in Algeria.