Hoggar Mountains

Hoggar Mountains
جبال هقار Idurar Uhaggar Idurar n Ahaggar
Landscape of the Asskrem region in the Hoggar
Highest point
Peak	Mount Tahat
Elevation
Coordinates
Geography
Location in southern Algeria
Country	Algeria
Province	Tamanrasset
Range coordinates

An oasis in the Hoggar Mountains

The Hoggar Mountains (Arabic: جبال هقار‎‎, Berber: idurar n Ahaggar, Tuareg: Idurar Uhaggar), also known as the Ahaggar, are a highland region in the central Sahara, southern Algeria, along the Tropic of Cancer.

Geography

This mountainous region is located about 1,500 km (930 mi) south of the capital, Algiers. The area is largely rocky desert with an average elevation of more than 900 m (3,000 ft) above sea level. The highest peak, Mount Tahat, is at 2,908 m (9,541 ft). Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where Charles de Foucauld built a hermitage in 1911. The main city near the Hoggar Mountains is Tamanrasset, built in a desert valley or wadi.

Environment

The Hoggar Mountain range is chiefly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperatures fall below 0 °C (32 °F) in the winter). The mountains are young—about 2 million years old. Rainfall is rare and sporadic. However, since the climate is less extreme than in most other areas of the Sahara, the Hoggar Mountains are a major location for biodiversity and host relict species. The Hoggar Mountains are part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion. It is also one of the national parks of the country.

Fauna and flora

Slightly to the west of the Hoggar range, a population of the endangered painted hunting dog (Lycaon pictus) remained viable into the 20th century, but is now thought to be extirpated within this entire region.

In scat collections there are records of the presence of these elusive and very rare carnivores.

Relict populations of the West African crocodile persisted in the Hoggar Mountains until the early 20th century.

Cultural significance

Prehistoric settlement is evident from extant rock paintings dating to 6000 BC. The Hoggar massif is the land of the Tuaregs or Kel Hoggar. The tomb of Tin Hinan, the woman believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa, an oasis near Tamanrasset. According to legend, the Tim Lam are from the Tafilalt region in the Moroccan Atlas Mountains.

Panoramic view

Panorama of The Ahaggar mountains

See also

Hoggar National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Locator map
Location	Tamanrasset Province, Algeria
Nearest city	Tamanrasset
Coordinates
Area	3,800 km2
Established	1987

• France and weapons of mass destruction; Saharan facilities
• Saharan rock art
• Teffedest Mountains

Further reading

• Peter Haggett. 2001. Encyclopedia of World Geography, Published by Marshall Cavendish, 3456 pages ISBN 0-7614-7289-4, 9780761472896
• C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg
• Jeremy Keenan. 1977. "The Tuareg: People of Ahaggar", Published by Allen Lane, Penguin Books Ltd., London, 385 pages, ISBN 0-7139-0636-7

External links

• (French) A website about the park
• Park data on UNEP-WPMC
• Ahaggar National Park - The Biodiverse Home of the Saharan Cheetah