The Ahaggar Mountains above sea level. The highest peak is at 3,003 meters (Mount Tahat
Mount Tahat
Mount Tahat is the highest mountain peak in Algeria, at . Tahat is also the highest peak in the Ahaggar Mountains. Its nearest city is Tamanrasset which is located 56 km to its south....
). Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where le Père de Foucauld
Charles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
lived in the summer of 1905. The main city nearby the Ahaggar is Tamanghasset
Tamanghasset
Tamanrasset is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg...
, built in a desert valley or wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
.
Environment
The Ahaggar Mountain range is chiefly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperatures fall below 0°C 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 Ahaggar Mountains are a major location for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is one measure of the health of ecosystems. Life on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The United Nations declared the year 2010 as the...
and host relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
species. The Ahaggar Mountains compose the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands
West Saharan montane xeric woodlands
The West Saharan montane xeric woodlands is an ecoregion that extends across several highland regions in the Sahara. Surrounded at lower elevations by the largely barren Sahara, the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands are isolated refuges of plants and animals that can survive in the higher...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
It is also one of the national parks of the country.
African Wild Dogs
Slightly to the west of the Ahaggar range, a population of the endangered African Wild Dog (
Lycaon pictus)
African Wild Dog
The African Wild Dog is a medium-sized canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and other lightly wooded areas. It is also called the Painted Dog, Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, the Cape Hunting Dog, the Spotted Dog, the Ornate Wolf or the Painted Wolf in English, Wildehond in...
remained viable into the 20th century, but is now thought to be extirpated within this entire region.
Some natives still report attacks by unidentified canines, possibly lycaon. Camera trapping should confirm whether or not this most elusive of African canines continues to exist in or near the mountain range. A group of field researchers including Koen de Smet and Farid Belbachir have collected information about reported lycaon sightings in Ahaggar and Tassili. Next round of camera trapping is planned for summer 2010, when genetic analysis of recovered carnivore scats will also be undertaken.
The IUCN/SSC
IUCN Species Survival Commission
The IUCN Species Survival Commission is a special commission operated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The commission's "major role is to provide information to IUCN on biodiversity conservation, the inherent value of species, their role in ecosystem health and functioning,...
Canid Specialist Group lists the African Wild Dog as most likely extirpated in this area, but also reports that the precise distibution of all populations is unknown and states that further research, including field surveys, are required. This applies to a number of regions on the African continent, including environs of the Ahaggar Mountains of Algeria.
Other Carnivores
In scat collections there are records of the presence elusive and very threatened Saharan cheetahs
Northwest African Cheetah
The Northwest African Cheetah , also known as the Saharan Cheetah, is a rare endangered subspecies of the Cheetah found primarily in the region of North Africa. Mainly in Algeria, Togo, Niger, Mali, Benin, and the Burkina Faso. Its total population may be fewer than 250 mature individuals...
, unidentified leopards
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, the leopard's range of...
, gennets
Genet (animal)
Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis.-Description:Genets are feliforms, somewhat related to cats...
, mongooses
Mongoose
Mongooses are a family of 33 species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also frequently referred to as "mongooses"...
(species unresolved), wild cats
Wild cat
The wildcat is a small cat native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar or smaller size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions of the world...
, and some cryptic and unrecognized forms (include 14 samples of unmatched non-african canid DNA, extracted from fecal analysis). There wasn't scats found as golden jackals
Golden Jackal
The Golden jackal is a medium-sized species of canid which inhabits north and north-eastern Africa, south-eastern and central Europe , Asia minor, the Middle East and south east Asia. It is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern, due to its widespread range in areas with optimum food and shelter...
, sand cats, fennecs or Ruppell's foxes. {see BUSBY, 2006 , }
Cultural significance
Prehistoric settlement is evident from extant rock paintings dating to 6000 BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
. The Ahaggar massif is the land of the Tuareg
Tuareg
The Tuareg are a Berber nomadic pastoralist people. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa...
s or Kel Ahaggar. The tomb of Tin Hinan
Tin Hinan
Tin Hinan is the name given by the Tuareg to a 4th-century woman of prestige whose monumental tomb is located at Abalessa in the Ahaggar or Hoggar region of Algeria. The name means literally "she of the tents", but may be metaphorically translated as "mother of the tribe" or even "queen of the camp"...
, the god believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa
Abalessa
Abalessa is a municipality in Tamanrasset Province, in southern Algeria, coextensive with the district of the same name. It has 6500 inhabitants . Abalessa is located 80 km west of the capital of the wilaya. The postcode of the town is 11,120....
, an oasis near Tamanghasset. According to legend, the origins of Tim Lam are from Tafilalt
Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet is a region and the most important oasis of the Moroccan Sahara; it is also considered one of the largest oasis in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains...
region in the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of nearly 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed Western Sahara which is mainly under Moroccan administration...
Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is the Toubkal mountain, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic...
from: www.absoluteastronomy.com
Mount Tahat
Mount Tahat is the highest mountain peak in Algeria, at . Tahat is also the highest peak in the Ahaggar Mountains. Its nearest city is Tamanrasset which is located 56 km to its south....
). Assekrem is a famous and often visited point where le Père de Foucauld
Charles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
lived in the summer of 1905. The main city nearby the Ahaggar is Tamanghasset
Tamanghasset
Tamanrasset is an oasis city and capital of Tamanrasset Province in southern Algeria, in the Ahaggar Mountains. It is the chief city of the Algerian Tuareg...
, built in a desert valley or wadi
Wadi
Wadi is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some cases, it may refer to a dry riverbed that contains water only during times of heavy rain or simply an intermittent stream.-Variant names:...
.
Environment
The Ahaggar Mountain range is chiefly volcanic rock and contains a hot summer climate, with a cold winter climate (temperatures fall below 0°C 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 Ahaggar Mountains are a major location for biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is one measure of the health of ecosystems. Life on Earth today consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The United Nations declared the year 2010 as the...
and host relict
Relict
A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon.* In biology a relict is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas....
species. The Ahaggar Mountains compose the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands
West Saharan montane xeric woodlands
The West Saharan montane xeric woodlands is an ecoregion that extends across several highland regions in the Sahara. Surrounded at lower elevations by the largely barren Sahara, the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands are isolated refuges of plants and animals that can survive in the higher...
ecoregion
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
.
It is also one of the national parks of the country.
African Wild Dogs
Slightly to the west of the Ahaggar range, a population of the endangered African Wild Dog (
Lycaon pictus)
African Wild Dog
The African Wild Dog is a medium-sized canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and other lightly wooded areas. It is also called the Painted Dog, Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, the Cape Hunting Dog, the Spotted Dog, the Ornate Wolf or the Painted Wolf in English, Wildehond in...
remained viable into the 20th century, but is now thought to be extirpated within this entire region.
Some natives still report attacks by unidentified canines, possibly lycaon. Camera trapping should confirm whether or not this most elusive of African canines continues to exist in or near the mountain range. A group of field researchers including Koen de Smet and Farid Belbachir have collected information about reported lycaon sightings in Ahaggar and Tassili. Next round of camera trapping is planned for summer 2010, when genetic analysis of recovered carnivore scats will also be undertaken.
The IUCN/SSC
IUCN Species Survival Commission
The IUCN Species Survival Commission is a special commission operated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The commission's "major role is to provide information to IUCN on biodiversity conservation, the inherent value of species, their role in ecosystem health and functioning,...
Canid Specialist Group lists the African Wild Dog as most likely extirpated in this area, but also reports that the precise distibution of all populations is unknown and states that further research, including field surveys, are required. This applies to a number of regions on the African continent, including environs of the Ahaggar Mountains of Algeria.
Other Carnivores
In scat collections there are records of the presence elusive and very threatened Saharan cheetahs
Northwest African Cheetah
The Northwest African Cheetah , also known as the Saharan Cheetah, is a rare endangered subspecies of the Cheetah found primarily in the region of North Africa. Mainly in Algeria, Togo, Niger, Mali, Benin, and the Burkina Faso. Its total population may be fewer than 250 mature individuals...
, unidentified leopards
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, the leopard's range of...
, gennets
Genet (animal)
Genets are Old World mammals from the order Carnivora, family Viverridae, related to civets and linsangs. All species are contained within the genus Genetta, although the Aquatic Genet is sometimes housed in its own genus Osbornictis.-Description:Genets are feliforms, somewhat related to cats...
, mongooses
Mongoose
Mongooses are a family of 33 species of small carnivorans from southern Eurasia and mainland Africa. Four additional species from Madagascar in the subfamily Galidiinae, which were previously classified in this family, are also frequently referred to as "mongooses"...
(species unresolved), wild cats
Wild cat
The wildcat is a small cat native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. It is a hunter of small mammals, birds, and other creatures of a similar or smaller size. There are several subspecies distributed in different regions of the world...
, and some cryptic and unrecognized forms (include 14 samples of unmatched non-african canid DNA, extracted from fecal analysis). There wasn't scats found as golden jackals
Golden Jackal
The Golden jackal is a medium-sized species of canid which inhabits north and north-eastern Africa, south-eastern and central Europe , Asia minor, the Middle East and south east Asia. It is classed by the IUCN as Least Concern, due to its widespread range in areas with optimum food and shelter...
, sand cats, fennecs or Ruppell's foxes. {see BUSBY, 2006 , }
Cultural significance
Prehistoric settlement is evident from extant rock paintings dating to 6000 BC
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
. The Ahaggar massif is the land of the Tuareg
Tuareg
The Tuareg are a Berber nomadic pastoralist people. They are the principal inhabitants of the Saharan interior of North Africa...
s or Kel Ahaggar. The tomb of Tin Hinan
Tin Hinan
Tin Hinan is the name given by the Tuareg to a 4th-century woman of prestige whose monumental tomb is located at Abalessa in the Ahaggar or Hoggar region of Algeria. The name means literally "she of the tents", but may be metaphorically translated as "mother of the tribe" or even "queen of the camp"...
, the god believed to be the ancestor of the Tuareg is located at Abalessa
Abalessa
Abalessa is a municipality in Tamanrasset Province, in southern Algeria, coextensive with the district of the same name. It has 6500 inhabitants . Abalessa is located 80 km west of the capital of the wilaya. The postcode of the town is 11,120....
, an oasis near Tamanghasset. According to legend, the origins of Tim Lam are from Tafilalt
Tafilalt
Tafilalt or Tafilet is a region and the most important oasis of the Moroccan Sahara; it is also considered one of the largest oasis in the world, the oasis is entirely located along the Ziz River. The oasis is ten days' journey south of Fez, across the Atlas Mountains...
region in the Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of nearly 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², including the disputed Western Sahara which is mainly under Moroccan administration...
Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about 2,500 km through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is the Toubkal mountain, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic...
from: www.absoluteastronomy.com
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