Kel Ayr (also spelled Kel Aïr) was a semi-nomadic

Tuareg The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym: ''Imuhaɣ/Imušaɣ/Imašeɣăn/Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group that principally inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from far southwestern Libya to southern A ...

tribal confederation. It ruled an area centered on the

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif ( tmh, Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, they r ...

(Aïr Massif) in what is today

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesHausa Hausa may refer to: * Hausa people, an ethnic group of West Africa * Hausa language, spoken in West Africa * Hausa Kingdoms, a historical collection of Hausa city-states * Hausa (horse) or Dongola horse, an African breed of riding horse See also * ...

, who later became identified with

Gobir Gobir (Demonym: ''Gobirawa'') was a city-state in what is now Nigeria. Founded by the Hausa in the 11th century, Gobir was one of the seven original kingdoms of Hausaland, and continued under Hausa rule for nearly 700 years. Its capital was the ci ...

(the Gobirawa) and other states to the south. Kel Ayr controlled the sedentary populations of the trading and farming centers in Assodé,

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of Agadez Region, it lies in the Sahara desert, and is also ...

In-Gall In-Gall (var. In Gall, I-n-Gall, In-Gal, Ingal, Ingall) is a town in the Agadez Region, Tchirozerine Department of northeast Niger, with a year-round population of less than 500. Known for its oasis and salt flats, In-Gall is the gathering poi ...

Timia Timia is a small town and commune in northern Niger, situated at an oasis in the Aïr Mountains, Agadez Region, Arlit Department. Visitors come to the Tuareg town to see a seasonal waterfall, a former French fort and the nearby ruined town of A ...

and

Iferouane Iferouane (french: link=no, Iférouane), also spelled Iferouan, is an oasis town and commune in northern Niger, in Agadez Department. It is located northeast of Arlit in the northern Aïr, in the Ighazar valley near the Tamgak Range. Iferou ...

. The

Songhai Empire The Songhai Empire (also transliterated as Songhay) was a state that dominated the western Sahel/Sudan in the 15th and 16th century. At its peak, it was one of the largest states in African history. The state is known by its historiographical ...

seized Agadez, Ingall, and centers to the south and west in 1500, but lost control before the end of the century. Along with the

Kel Gres Kel Gres is a tribal confederation of Tuareg clans (or "''Drum-groups''"). In the modern era, they have mostly lived in south central Niger, although they are known to have inhabited the Aïr Mountains prior to the 17th century. As pastoralists, the ...

, Tesen and Issandalan confederations, the Kel Ayr controlled the region and helped found the Sultanate in Agadez. In 1740 the large

Kel Owey The Kel Awey (var. Kel Owi, Kel Ewey form ''People of the Bull'') are a Tuareg clan confederation. From the 18th century until the advent of French colonial rule at the beginning of the 20th century, they were a dominant power in the Aïr Mountains ...

destroyed the town of Assodé, sacked Agadez, placed the

Sultanate of Agadez The Sultanate of Agadez (also known as Tenere Sultanate of Aïr, Sultanate of Aïr, or Asben") was a Berber kingdom centered in the city of Agadez in the Aïr Mountains, located at the southern edge of the Sahara desert in north-central Niger. I ...

under their control, and dispersed the Kel Ayer to the south and west. The confederation was then under the direct suzerainty of the Anastafidet, lord of the Kel Owey. Between the 1850s and the 1890s, the Kel Owey and the central Aïr again fell under control of the Key Ayr, and the Ayr again retained control of Agadez, the Kouar oases, and the

Azalai The Azalai (Tamasheq, var. Azalay) is a semi-annual salt caravan route practiced by Tuareg traders in the Sahara desert between Timbuktu and the Taoudenni salt mine in Mali, or the act of traveling with a caravan along that route. The other maj ...

salt caravans, which they continue to operate. As of the 1980s, population estimates for the Kel Ayr range from 55,000 to 20,000, in part because of the decision of which tribes to include, and whether to include the sedentary population (the Ikelan/Bella) whom the Tuareg groups ruled until at least independence.

Existing Kel Ayr groups

To the west of Aïr in the Tamesna plain: * Kel Gharous * Kel Tadele * Kel Tamat (now more identified with the

) ~4800 in 1979 ** Ikazkazan (part centered near

Arlit Arlit is an industrial town and capital of the Arlit Department of the Agadez Region of northern-central Niger, built between the Sahara Desert and the eastern edge of the Aïr Mountains. It is 200 km south by road from the border with ...

). A second branch is associated with the

Kel Ulli Kel or KEL may refer to: * Raquel Calderón (born 1991), Chilean singer and actress * Kei Lun stop, Hong Kong, MTR station code KEL * Kel, Azad Kashmir, village in Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan * Kel Mitchell (born 1978), American actor an ...

to the south, near

Zinder Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);

. To the southwest of Aïr : * Kel Fadey (centered at Tchimoumenene; nomadize in regions around

) ~1780 in 1979. *

Igdalen The Igdalen (var.: Igdalan, Agdal) are a Berber people inhabiting northwestern Niger and parts of Mali and Algeria.Kel Ferwan The Kel Ferwan are a Tuareg nomadic clan, who have historically been a subgroup of the Kel Ayr confederation. In the 20th century, they have mostly been based in the Aïr Mountains of north central Niger ) , official_languages = , l ...

(or Kel Ferouane) to the south of the Aïr Mountains, but originally migrating to the area in the 14th century CE. ~6000 in 1979. In the colonial period the Kel Ayr led a large confederation which included most of these groups, but also held sway over the

and

Kel Tamat Kel or KEL may refer to: * Raquel Calderón (born 1991), Chilean singer and actress * Kei Lun stop, Hong Kong, MTR station code KEL * Kel, Azad Kashmir, village in Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan * Kel Mitchell (born 1978), American actor an ...

in the central Aïr Massif.Paul E. Lovejoy. ''Transformations in Slavery - A History of Slavery in Africa''. African Studies series No 36. Cambridge University Press (1983) pp. 217-220

References

* Samuel Decalo. ''Historical Dictionary of Niger.'' Scarecrow Press, London and New Jersey (1979). * Jolijn Geels. ''Niger.'' Bradt London and Globe Pequot New York (2006). . * French Language Wikipedia entry

Also

* Bernus E. 1981. ''Touareg nigériens: Unité culturelle et diversité régionale d'un peuple pasteur.'' ORSTOM, Paris. ''This is the source of the 55,000 population figure.'' * Karl G. Prasse. ''The Tuaregs: The Blue People.'' Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum Press, 1995. {{ISBN, 978-87-7289-313-6. Tuareg confederations