Plateau of Aïr Azbine

Plateau of Aïr is a plateau in the southern part of the Sahara Desert in Niger. The sharp cliffs rising above the plateau are of volcanic origin, composed of ancient granites and Quaternary lavas. The average height is 800-900 m, the highest point is the mountain Idukal-n-Tage (2022 m). From the east, the plateau is bounded by the sand dunes of the Ténéré Desert.

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History

Europeans appeared in these lands in the mid-nineteenth century. Heinrich Barth, the first European to cross the Aire Plateau and August 1850, called it the Alps of the Desert.

In 1988, the Aire Reserve was established and a strictly protected reserve was created to protect the Addax antelope, occupying one-sixth of the reserve. In 1991, the reserve was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of Natural and Cultural World Heritage Sites, and in 1992, due to civil wars and conflicts between the local Tuareg people and the government of Niger, it was placed on the List of World Natural and Cultural Heritage Sites in Danger.

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Aïr Plateau Reserve

Contrary to ideas about the nature of deserts, the landscapes of the reserve are not at all monotonous, there are stony, clay, pebble and sandy areas, depressions covered with salt crust, and mountain massifs – “islands of life.”

The geological basis of the entire reserve is the geological base of the region.

The geological basis of the entire territory is an ancient plateau composed of granites, gneisses and crystalline schists, which are more than a billion years old. Its weakly fibrous base is located at altitudes of 400 – 800 m. Nine massifs of granite and volcanic rock rise above it.

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There are many interesting geological monuments on the Ayr Plateau. These are the conglomerate-folded massif of Takalukozet, the marble Blue Mountains and the white marble hills of Kogo. In the central part of the reserve there is the caldera (cauldron-shaped depression) of Aracao, one of the largest circular structures in the world. Its diameter reaches several kilometers. Presumably, it appeared tens of millions of years ago as a result of a meteorite impact. In general, the Ayr Plateau is a stony desert – gamada.

Both the mountain ranges and the plateau are dissected by deep valleys. However, here flow only temporary watercourses – wadis, as well as dry valleys with sandy beds. Water flows through them for only a few hours after heavy rains. Three major wadis (Zagado, Tafidet and Ajirrugdu) run eastward from the rocky massifs and are lost in the sands of the Tenere Desert. Other eastern wadis terminate in temporarily flooded areas or salt marshes with abundant vegetation, important for the ecology of the marginal desert areas. Three other major wadis – Tamgak, Zilalet and Tamanet – flow west and south, ending on a plateau just outside the reserve.

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On the rocks there are ancient images, there are several places of significant archaeological excavations.

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There are hot springs in the mountains. Uranium and other minerals are mined.

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Fauna of the Aire Plateau

The relative remoteness of the Aïr Plateau and the fact that humans stopped settling here about 2,000 years ago allowed the fauna to persist, which was completely destroyed in other parts of the Sahara.

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The Ayr Plateau has become a refuge for many of the Sahara’s endangered ungulate species. Zoologists estimate that it is home to about 12,000 individuals of Dorca’s gazelle, 170 individuals of Dama’s gazelle, and 3.5 thousand bighorn sheep, which is two-thirds of the species’ population in Niger.

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The reptile fauna includes, the desert lizard varan sand viper various species of sand boa constrictors and geckos.

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Zoologists have found at least 40 species of mammals, many of them endangered, 160 species of birds, about 18 species of reptiles, and one species of amphibian in the reserve. Many Sahelian animal species are relicts of wetter eras and have been isolated from their main population in the south for several millennia.

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There are certain dangers for the nature of the reserve: armed conflicts between the state authorities and the Tuareg tribes; traditional hunting of gazelles, antelopes and even ostriches by the Tuareg using snares and packs of dogs; the use of firearms and vehicles, which are used without restriction for both military and civilian purposes. Tourists also contribute to the problem by driving antelopes and gazelles to the point where the animals die of dehydration.

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The reserve is home to the largest population of African ostrich in West Africa – about 2,000 individuals.

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Flora of the Aire Plateau

Away from the mountain ranges in the sands of Tenere, there is almost no vegetation. Only ephemerals appear here after scanty rains and go through their entire life cycle in a short time (about 30 days).

The flora of the reserve includes more than 350 species of plants (for comparison: almost as many of them in the entire Sahara). The plant and animal life is an amazing combination of species from different areas of the mainland in the Mediterranean, Sudan and the Sahel, the desert savannahs lying to the south. Species from the latter area are most abundant here. Sahelian vegetation is concentrated in the humid areas of the Aire Plateau. The main tree species are the evergreen fodder plant Balanites Egyptianus, the Moorish Ziziphus, which received the name “Christ’s nail” for its sharp and strong thorns, and various species of acacias. Among the latter, the whitish acacia – one of the rare deciduous plants – is interesting. When clouds cover the sky at the beginning of the rainy season, this light-loving plant sheds its leaves, and in the dry season, when the sun shines brightly, new foliage appears. Acacias are stunted and their trunks are often crooked. Among the grasses are various species of millet, aristidae, kram kram, saltbush, etc. To survive in the arid conditions of the Sahel, the grasses have acquired a well-developed root system and grow very quickly, reaching maturity in 1 to 1.5 months.

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Relict Sudanese and Mediterranean representatives of the flora are found at altitudes of more than 1 thousand in the most humid places of the Ayr Plateau. Among the “Sudanese” are some species of ficus. Among the “Mediterranean” – wild olive, subject to strict protection, found at an altitude of more than 1.5 thousand meters on the rocky slopes of the Grebun and Tamgak massifs; populations of wild relatives of important agricultural crops millet and sorghum.

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Climate of the Aire Plateau

The climate of the reserve is common to the Central Sahara: very hot and arid. The average annual temperatures are around +28 C. The maximum temperatures – around +50 C – occur in May and June (this is when the Sun, moving towards its zenith over the Northern Tropic, crosses these areas). Despite this heat during the day, temperatures are much lower at night. In winter (January and February) they drop below freezing, resulting in stark temperature contrasts between daylight and darkness.

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Most rainfall occurs where the moist air meets the obstacle of the mountains – in the western part of the Aire Plateau. Typically, rainfall in the reserve decreases from south to north and west to east. In Ifeferuan, the main tourist center, there are about 50 mm per year. The driest areas of the Ténéré Desert can receive only a few millimeters of rainfall in 20 years.

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There are virtually no clouds over the Sahara. It is because of the absence of this atmospheric layer in the daytime, when the sun is high above the horizon, the air warms up so much that the outlines of objects begin to blur, causing a person’s visual hallucinations – famous mirages of the desert. When the sun sets behind the horizon, there is nothing to prevent it from giving up the heat accumulated during the day and cooling down quickly.

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Population of the Aire Plateau

Looking at the desolation of the area, it is hard to believe that the Aire Plateau was inhabited about 30,000 years ago. Archaeologists have found many Paleolithic and Neolithic sites here – mostly along the lines of fossil rivers and lakes full of water 4,000 years ago. Among the artifacts found are arrow and spearheads, stupas, and millstones. Numerous rock paintings depict fauna from both the more distant wet period (elephants and giraffes) and near-modern fauna such as oryxes, gazelles, and ostriches.

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When the climate of Aira became quite dry for livestock farming, the population left the region Waves of semi-nomadic tribes that later came from the south were eventually displaced by the Berbers (ancestors of today’s Tuareg).

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The Aire Plateau was once part of a trade triangle Cattle products and fruits were transported by camel caravans eastward across the Tenere Desert to the oases of Bilma, where they were traded for salt and dates. The latter, in turn, were taken to the south of the Niger, where they were exchanged for millet, the main grain crop in the Tuareg diet. Now the role of the caravan trade is visibly declining, the camels have been replaced by the automobile. But Ayr is still a hospitable stop on the way through the barren desert of Ténéré.

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