The Adrar (, Berber for "mountain") is a highland

natural Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are p ...

and

historical region Historical regions (or historical areas) are geographical regions which at some point in time had a cultural, ethnic An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that ...

of the

Sahara Desert , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

in northern

Mauritania Mauritania (; ar, موريتانيا, ', french: Mauritanie; Berber: ''Agawej'' or ''Cengit''; Pulaar: ''Moritani''; Wolof: ''Gànnaar''; Soninke:), officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania ( ar, الجمهورية الإسلامية ...

. The

Adrar Region Adrar ( ar, ولاية أدرار) is a large administrative region in Mauritania, named for the Adrar Plateau. The capital is Atar. Other major towns include Choum, Chinguetti and Ouadane. The region borders Western Sahara and the Mauritania ...

, an administrative division of Mauritania, is named after the traditional region. It is sometimes called Adrar Tamar to distinguish it from other areas called Adrar in the Sahara.

Geography

The Adrar is an arid

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ha ...

, known for its gorges, regs (stony deserts) and

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, fl ...

s. Structurally the Adrar is a low central

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

which rises to over above sea level just east of

Atar Atar, Atash, or Azar ( ae, 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭, translit=ātar) is the Zoroastrian concept of holy fire, sometimes described in abstract terms as "burning and unburning fire" or "visible and invisible fire" (Mirza, 1987:389). It is considered to ...

near the

Amojjar Pass Amojjar Pass is a mountain pass in the Adrar Plateau in the centre of Adrar, near Atar, Mauritania. The pink-brown sandstone of the pass was worn away by repeated cycles of extreme dryness interrupted by torrential rain. The bases of the steep ...

on the track to

Chinguetti Chinguetti () ( ar, شنقيط, translit=Šinqīṭ) is a ksar and a medieval trading center in northern Mauritania, located on the Adrar Plateau east of Atar. Founded in the 13th century as the center of several trans-Saharan trade routes, this ...

, then loses elevation and becomes subsumed by dunes to the south and east. Limited cultivation is only possible in the gorges at lower elevations such like oued Seguellil where the water table is high enough to support large palm groves. Notable features include the Oued el Abiod or 'White Valley', a dune-filled fault line along which many small settlements and palm groves are found. The Guelb Aouelloul crater is 3.1 million-old impact crater which was studied by the noted Saharan scholar,

Théodore Monod Théodore André Monod (9 April 1902 – 22 November 2000) was a French naturalist, humanist, scholar and explorer. Exploration Early in his career, Monod was made professor at the ''Muséum national d'histoire naturelle'' and founded the '' Inst ...

. To the east beyond Ouadane is the distinctive

Richat Structure The Richat Structure, also called ''Guelb er Richât'' ( ar, قلب الريشات, Qalb ar-Rīšāt), is a prominent circular geological feature in the Sahara's Adrar Plateau, near Ouadane, west–central Mauritania, Northwest Africa. In the ...

, an uplifted and then heavily eroded dome of strata approximately 40 km across and whose concentric rings resemble an impact crater when observed from space. The Adrar region is home to a small human population, centered on the town of

. The ancient town of

Ouadane , settlement_type = Commune and town , image_skyline = OuadaneOldTown1.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = Old tower, Ouadane , image_flag = , im ...

, formerly an important caravan and gold-trading centre, is located towards the eastern edge of the Adrar.

is another important historical town in the region.

History

The Adrar was settled in the

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts ...

era as shown by cave and rock paintings found in the area such as the

Agrour Amogjar The Agrour Amogjar is a 690 m high peak near the Amogjar Pass, in the Adrar plateau of central Mauritania. Its small natural shelters house a rich collection of rock painting In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural ...

. The more recent

arid A region is arid when it severely lacks available water, to the extent of hindering or preventing the growth and development of plant and animal life. Regions with arid climates tend to lack vegetation and are called xeric or desertic. Most ar ...

ification has left much of the

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

intact, most notable several

stone circle A stone circle is a ring of standing stones. Most are found in Northwestern Europe – especially in Britain, Ireland, and Brittany – and typically date from the Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age, with most being built from 3000 BC. The be ...

s, e.g. Atar Stone Circle, and the later town of Azougui. Beginning in the mid-17th century, migrants from the Adrar Plateau region moved into the

Tagant Plateau The Tagant Plateau is located in eastern Mauritania, forming a stony part of the Sahara Desert. The Tagant Region, a national administrative division, is named after the plateau. Geography Some towns are located at the foot of the Tagant Plateau' ...

and displaced the native population.James L. A. Webb , ''Desert Frontier: Ecological and Economic Change Along the Western Sahel'', p.50.

Features of the Adrar

File:Adrar-Henné.jpg,

Henna Henna is a dye prepared from the plant ''Lawsonia inermis'', also known as the henna tree, the mignonette tree, and the Egyptian privet, the sole species of the genus ''Lawsonia''. ''Henna'' can also refer to the temporary body art resulting fr ...

design on the hand of a girl of the region File:Adrar sands.JPG, A sandy area west of Chinguetti File:Adrar-Scarecrows.JPG, A stone

cairn A cairn is a man-made pile (or stack) of stones raised for a purpose, usually as a marker or as a burial mound. The word ''cairn'' comes from the gd, càrn (plural ). Cairns have been and are used for a broad variety of purposes. In prehis ...

File:Adrar-Coloquintes.jpg,

Colocynth ''Citrullus colocynthis'', with many common names including Abu Jahl's melon, (native name in Turkey) colocynth, bitter apple, bitter cucumber, egusi, vine of Sodom, or wild gourd, is a desert viny plant native to the Mediterranean Basin and ...

s in the Adrar desert File:Adrar (17).jpg, A postbox in the airport of Atar, the Adrar's main town

References

{{reflist

External links

UNESCO: "Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata"The Adrar - Lonely Planet
Landforms of Mauritania Plateaus of Africa Geologic formations with imbedded sand dunes Serer history Geologic formations of Africa Natural regions of Africa Historical regions

Geography

History

Features of the Adrar

See also

References

External links