64 results
Beauty from Rajasthan - Abhirushi, which quite fittingly means "beautiful" in Rajasthan, is a nomad. She is wearing beautiful traditional jewellery – but would it be so beautiful without the brightness of her smile and the fineness of her eyes? (Region of Udaipur, Rajasthan, India) - 1990
A bit of family history - Abdelkrim ag Ahrmed, son of Ahrmed ag Chaoua, is the grand-son of Chaoua and comes from a dynasty of caravan leaders. In the language of the Tuareg, Tamacheq, “ag” means “son of”. - Niger / Aïr / 2003
Tuareg warrior - With a single blow of his Takuba, Boubakar ag Mohamed has beheaded a jackal... what a feat! As the leader of a clan of ten families from the Kel Takriza tribe, formerly feared in the Sahel because of their raids against black farmers, today he is the most peaceful of Tuareg dignitaries – and the one wearing the most makeup! - Niger / Western Aïr
Barbati’s chapati - In the Thar Desert (western India), this young nomad woman, called Barbati, is preparing the chapati, traditional Indian bread. An image that, except for some clothing details, might as well belong to everyday life in the Sahara. Similar conditions, similar traditions. - 1990
In the morning light Caravan in the Temet wadi. Niger - Aïr - 2003
Portrait of a young Touareg - Faris / Aïr / Niger
The nomad Sidi Ali Ali from the Tamchekett region in Mauritania. - 1970
Nomad tent at Fort Polignac, today called Illizi. - Algeria - 1966
A Tuareg woman grinds the grain on a stone mill - Camp Idriss - Dider - Tassili n'Ajjer. - Algeria - 1966
After watering, the cattle are returned to the surrounding pastures. - Eskiman well - Niger - 1970
Game Every nomad likes to play. The preference is given to the game of checkers, whose pawns are pebbles or camel poop. Each move is punctuated by endless discussions. Algeria - Hoggar Camp - 1968
Well of the Ténéré tree At the bottom of this 36 meters deep well, the water is of poor quality, but necessary for caravaneers. It is brought to the surface by muscle power or with the help of animals. Niger - Tenere - 1967
Caravan In the Aïr, the guide searches on foot for the best passage for his caravan through the dunes. Niger - Aïr - Erg Izane - 2000
Entering another world The caravan is about to enter a mineral universe that is no longer the world of men but that of an intact nature where only the nomads can survive. Niger - Aïr - Erg Izane - 2002
Abakaoua In his indigo outfit, chief Abakaoua ag Kanom, a symbol of the stubborn resistance of the Touareg Kel Tédélé people, proudly wears his 72 years and underlines the tenacious will of his gaze with a line of khol. Niger - Aïr - 2003
Touareg This noble Touareg of the Kel Rela tribe is armed with his spear. The spear is becoming more and more rare; it was used to hunt gazelles or mouflons. The tagoûlmoust, the veil that surrounds the head and hides the lower face, is given by the father to his son when he reaches puberty. Algeria - Hoggar - 1964
Long live the bride The pectoral pendant is the centrepiece of the adornment of a woman on the day of her marriage. Around the neck, she wears a collar formed by cloves. The scent that emerges is very appreciated among women. Algeria - Illizi - 1967
Moorish camp in the heart of the Spanish Sahara. The dwelling of the Réguibat nomads consists of a pointed tent made of camel and goatskin, usually sewn together from seven panels. Inside, they lay out mats, some rugs, sometimes fur blankets. - Western Sahara - 1966
A Réguibat tribe on their way over the pass of Ammojar (Mauritania). Wife and children make the journey in a palanquin that protects them from wind and dust. - Mauritania - 1968
The Moors, like their cousins the Tuareg, are Berbers. They inhabit what is now Mauritania. You often meet them when, as here at Aïn ben Tili, they move from one camp to another with their heavily laden camels. Typical is the wide women's saddle, whose fragility and lack of balance are obvious. - Mauritania - 1970
The tent of a nomadic family Bir Moghreïn in the far north of Mauritania. - Mauritania - 1968
Nomad tent made of animal skins in Sidi Mohammed's camp on the track through the Hoggar. - Algeria - 1966
The tea water is boiled on an open fire. Targui Litni in Sidi Mohammed's camp on the track through the Hoggar. - Algeria - 1966
Departure. The women fold up the Issabeur or Assaber, a kind of removable fence 8 to 10 metres long that protects against wind and winter cold. The Issabeur is made of mats stitched together with the long stems of the Markuba, a grass plant that thrives in clumps in the desert. - Algeria - 1966
In the camp, life melts away in little drops of time that you sip with relish. Every nomad loves to play. The favourite pastime is a kind of checkers game with stones, some of which are pebbles, others camel dung balls. There are endless discussions between the individual moves. - Algeria - 1966
The purple mountains of the Tassili N'Aijer shimmer in a mirage of water. The Tassili mountains are the domain of the Ajjer Tuareg, the land of veiled, poor but independent men. - Algeria - 1966
Tuareg nomad camp in the Oued Djerat in the Tassili Mountains. - Algeria - 1962
The imzad, a one-stringed violin, consists of half a bottle gourd covered with goatskin and a wooden handle. The string is made of horsehair. The bow is a curved piece of laurel rose wood. Only the women play this instrument on festive days. Tuareg poetry is expressed orally. - Algeria - 1962
Tuareg society has a matriarchal structure. This imzad player (the imzad is a one-stringed musical instrument) praises the great deeds of her ancestors as handed down to her by her mother; she is the keeper of tradition. However, the difficult art of playing the imzad is becoming more and more lost. The instrument is made of half a calabash with sheepskin stretched over it, the bridge is made of the wood of the laurel rose. - Algeria - 1962
In the middle of the Tassili, you can suddenly come across a nomadic mosque. - Algeria - 1962
Tubu camp. Among the objects essential to nomadic life is a traditional camel saddle. - Chad - 1967
On the edge of the Tibesti, a group of Toubou women are busy building a nomad tent. This dwelling consists of an oval frame, while a network of palm branches and ribs supports an assembly of mats attached to each other by thorns. In the organisation of a camp, it is traditional that the house and furniture belong to the woman. - Chad - 1967
Somewhere in northern Tibesti, these tubu women are busy setting up camp. - Chad - 1967
Between the Enneri Tao and Bardaï, an old lava flow on the edge of the track underlines the geological origin of the Tibesti in a grandiose way and makes the progression difficult. - Chad - 1967
Young Toubou, in Zouï, near Bardaï. Considered as the greatest walkers of the Sahara, the Toubous have an extraordinary endurance. They are almost always on the move. A guerba filled with water and a few dates are enough for them to cross the desert and climb the rocks with agility. - Chad - 1967
A Toubou from the Tibesti. The origin of these nomads remains a mystery. According to certain traits, they could belong to the black race, according to others they are more Mediterranean or even Ethiopian in type. - Chad - 1967
It is the woman who is entrusted with the task of setting up the house. The house and the furniture belong to her. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
Nomadic Tubu herders on their way to Bardaï. While the men go on foot, pushing their donkeys and goats in front of them, the camels, heavily loaded, close the march. In the distance, the spiky triangle of the Botoum peak (2416 m altitude) rises up. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
Caravan of Tubu nomads on the track leading to Bardaï. The men walk, the camels trotting behind the donkeys and the goats, carrying heavy loads. In the background, the rugged triangle of Pic Botoum. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
Tubu woman. Early in the morning she has left her camp to go to Zouar, hoping to sell some lean goats there or to exchange them for tea, sugar or millet. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
120 kilometres from Zouar, near the Enneri (Wadi) Maro, things are very busy. For the water, so indispensable for life, comes up fresh and cool from the bottom of the well here. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
Toubou girl near Sherda (Tibesti). She offers eggs as a welcome. Hospitality in the desert is a sacred duty, a great honour; no nomad escapes it. It is usually expressed in a gourd of camel milk or a handful of dried dates. - Sherda - Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967
Each tribe has its own special mark that it burns on the animals to be able to recognise them if they get lost. – Niger - 1966
Camel breeding is the occupation of the noble. In reality, they are dromedaries in the Sahara, but they have been called camels for centuries. Up to the age of three or four, the camel stays in the pasture. Then it starts to be trained. Between six and eight years, it is put to work. Male animals are usually used for the large caravans. – Niger - 1966
Camel market in In-Gall in Aïr (Republic of Niger). As in all marketplaces in Africa, people haggle extensively. The Tuareg are very vain. They often wear bracelets made of stone, e.g. serpentine, slate or limestone, above their elbows. The man in the white gandura on the left has a braid hanging from the litham on either side of his head, a custom typical of the Aïr. – Niger - 1966
Region between Bou Ediane and the Grotto of the Viper. A nomad is on the move with his packed donkeys. Algeria - Tadrart - 1993
This old man from Tidjikja, southern Mauritania, has the typical features of his breed. The sun and life in the wide open spaces have chiselled his countenance and shaped him. - Mauritania - 1969
Girls as well as boys help to bring the cattle to the drinking trough. - Eskiman well - Niger - 1970
Overview of the well of Ekismane. The herders distribute the water to the watering troughs. The cattle wait for their turn. - Niger - 1970
This girl is a splendid example of the Fulbe tribe found between Douentza and Hombori in Mali. The graceful harmony of the fine features, illuminated by an intelligent smile, are remarkable. The Fulbe belong to the large family of the Peul. - Mali - 1969
Filingué is located in a zone where agropastoralism is practised. The large market of Filingué is mainly used by pastoralists and millet farmers, members of the Fulbe and Tuareg ethnic groups. The town's inhabitants struggle with poor nutrition, lack of access to drinking water and problems with water drainage in rainy seasons. - Water transport by calabash - Niger - 1970
Nomads on the move north of Filingué - Niger - 1970
With the help of the dromedary, the water is lifted while the cattle wait patiently until they are led to the watering place. A spectacle that is repeated daily. - Well of Eskiman - Niger - 1970
The bow is one of the "revolutionary" developments of the Neolithic. It had the same consequences for its owners as the first rifles. The posture of the Bororo-Peul hunter dressed in leather testifies to the permanence of the traditional gesture, holding his bow much like the one on the rock painting of Jabbaren, Tassili n' Ajjer. - Fountain of Eskiman - Niger - 1970
A Bororo herdsman in typical posture at the well of Ekisman - Niger - 1970
A flute player replaces the orchestra and supports the chorus of dancers with his instrument. The beat is given to him by clapping hands. The women, prize of this peaceful competition, show a very seductive demeanour ... - Fountain of Eskiman - Niger - 1970
A young Bororo with his typical features at the well of Ekisman - Niger - 1970
It has often been overlooked that cattle also served as pack animals and as such played a major role in the civilisation of the Sahara. As a rider we find the same girl as in the previous photo. - Well of Ekisman - Niger - 1970
Typical of their breed are the tattoos on the Bororo's face. The ears, pierced all along the rim by many holes, allow to wear amazing amounts of silver rings. Strings around the neck are used to hold various collections of amulets. - Fountain of Ekisman - Niger - 1970
