Dunes and monoliths
Dunes of Tarka on the border between Niger and Chad.
Chad - Tibesti - 1967

At Tibesti
Typical landscape of Tibesti around Zouar, former military camp. In the background the Botoum peak.
Chad - Tibesti - 1968

Hello and welcome
This toubou girl offers eggs as a welcome. Hospitality in the desert is a sacred duty, a great honor; no nomad shuns this.
Chad - Tibesti - Sherda - 1968

Party outfit
When Bardaï is celebrating, the Toubou women dress in their most beautiful attire, and the silver jewels, sometimes gold, blaze in the sun.
Chad - Bardaï - 1968

Assembly
Meeting of women in the oasis of Bardaï.
Chad - Bardaï - 1968

In reality, the Sahara can be crossed like a sea. In the true sense of the word, it is "ocean sailing". The immense expanses of sand wrinkled by a perpetual wind, as well as the dreary plateaus strewn endlessly with burnt rocks, offer no landmarks safe enough to go from one oasis to another without the risk of getting lost. It is therefore with a compass and a map that one must advance. Moreover, in this almost perfect desert, where parsimonious wells deliver only a rare and not always drinkable water, a surprise awaits the traveller; in innumerable places, he sees, scattered on the ground, the testimonies of an intense lacustrine life: bones of hippopotamuses or crocodiles, bones of enormous fishes, shells of molluscs. And if it were necessary to confirm the reality of the facts, we would have to reflect on the significance of the gigantic diatomite deposits, such as those of the Chadian Djourab (8), formed by the microscopic siliceous skeletons of infinitesimally small people who lived in large lakes that were drying up two or three thousand years ago, but which were still in high water four or five thousand years earlier. - 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

Tubu camp in the Enneri Tao (central Tibesti). - Chad - 1967

Tubu camp. Among the objects essential to nomadic life is a traditional camel saddle. - Chad - 1967

Two tubu women having a chat while preparing the traditional dish in a wooden mortar. - Chad - 1967

Grandiose rock formation in the Zouar region of Tibesti. To compare the size, look at the two people. - 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

Bardaï in 1967. It remains the main town in Tibesti. - Chad - 1967

At noon, the main square of Bardaï is deserted by the population. - Chad - 1967

In the Bardaï palm grove, the mosque is characterised by its smooth and uncluttered architecture. Around the town, the impressive volcanic massifs make the Tibesti an impregnable citadel. - Chad - 1967

On the arrival of an important guest in Bardaï, the camel riders throw on their ceremonial garb. This is a tradition that is by no means dying out. The nomad guards are something like the mounted police of Tibesti. - Chad - 1967

Women's meeting in the Bardaï oasis. - Chad - 1967

Zouï oasis near Bardaï. In the enclosed courtyard of a Toubou house, an old woman is busy weaving baskets. The palm fibres woven into strips, put together, make baskets or sleeping mats. While the substructure of the houses is made of brick, the roof is made of large rushes, which can be found almost everywhere in the Sahara. - Chad - 1967

The young Tubu woman Cherie sorting grains. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Grain sprouts between the date palms. The sedentary leads a hard, miserable life, he is a slave to his land. For days he draws water from the bottom of the well and empties it into the seguias, the irrigation channels that run through the cultivated land. - Chad - 1967

This Tubu woman from the Bardaï oasis, Tibesti, pours the water from her “dellou” into a seguia, the gutter that irrigates the garden she maintains. The rope to which the “dellou” is attached is fixed to the end of a long wooden pendulum weighted with a stone at the other end, so as to form a pendulum. This is a long, tedious and arduous task which, with countless variations, is repeated in all the oases over the entire surface of the Sahara, between the Red Sea and the Atlantic. The only exception is the land of feggaguir (plural of foggara), long underground canals leading to the open air in the oasis; they were dug by man and sunk to the places where it was possible to drain a little water. There are 360 kilometres of canals in the oasis of Aoulef alone. But in all other cases, the “chadouf”, with its pendulum, is the typical hydraulic device of the oases. The most astute use a donkey, an ox or a camel to bring up the “dellou” full of water from the bottom of the well. - 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

Tubu caravanner on the Bardaï trail. - Chad - 1967

Mrs Leclerc with child. The tubu woman is beautiful, the facial features and fine physique suggest a Mediterranean rather than a negroid type. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Mrs Leclerc - The tubu woman is beautiful, the facial features and fine physique suggest a Mediterranean rather than a Negroid type. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The young Tubu woman Cherie. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

When it is festival time in Bardaï, the women adorn themselves with their most beautiful finery and become brightly coloured dolls. The silver, sometimes gold, jewellery flares in the sun. The Toubou woman is beautiful, the facial features and fine physique suggest a Mediterranean rather than a Negroid type. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The Tubu blacksmith of Bardaï, in the heart of the Tibesti, has an extremely important function, as he is also a musician and, as such, leads the dances during the festivals. The very slim type of this man is remarkable, as he could be seen on a buccaneer's boat in the Red Sea. The anthropology of the human groups currently living in the desert strip of North Africa confirms what human palaeontology already revealed in the Neolithic period; we always find three types: Mediterranean, black and mixed race. The passage of the first type undoubtedly took place at the level of the Red Sea and the Isthmus of Suez, but this delicate problem is far from being completely clarified. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The festival at the forges of Bardaï is in full swing. To the sound of the drum, the women dance slowly in circles, and their arms are like snakes lambent against the sky. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The wedding feast at the forges of Bardaï is in full swing. To the sound of the drum, the women dance slowly in circles, and their arms are like snakes lambent against the sky. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Foot bracelets. These silver jewels are the work of blacksmiths. Both feared and despised by the nomads and the sedentary people living in the desert, the blacksmith or malem belongs to a special caste. He masters fire and material, fashioning jewellery as well as weapons or the metal parts that make up the harness of camels. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

When it is festival time in Bardaï, the women adorn themselves with their most beautiful finery and become brightly coloured dolls. The silver, sometimes gold, jewellery flares in the sun. The Toubou woman is beautiful, the facial features and fine physique suggest a Mediterranean rather than a Negroid type. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

These blacksmiths' wives in Bardaï give a timeless image of the Sahara.... The fabrics they wear come mostly from the Fezzan and are brought by the trucks that supply the oases in the Tibesti. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

In Bardaï, the wife of a blacksmith takes part in the festival with her most beautiful ornaments and dances late into the night. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Galli, a young Toubou woman from Bardaï, is the soul of the parties that are improvised in the shade of the palm trees. She goes from house to house and gathers her friends to dance. The fabrics she wears come from the Fezzan with the camions that supply most of the Tibesti oases. - Bardaï - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

On the night of Tibesti, a wedding is celebrated. The women dance in a circle; the blacksmith sings the love songs that the young girls take up; intoxicated with joy, he beats his drum. The men look on in admiration and try to establish future kinships. - Bardaï - Tibesti - 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

The interior of the Toubou «house».The dwelling consists of an oval skeleton in the shape of an upturned boat. A network of branches and palm ribs supports a blanket of mats stitched together with thorns. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

A young Tubu 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. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Tea time ... a special moment for the Saharan nomads. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The Enneri Alli between Soborum and Bardaï. "Enneri" means "river". Like a wadi, it is characterised by the fact that it is almost always dry. - Tibesti- Chad - 1967

A small caravan in the Enneri Bessama between Bardaï and Soborum. "Enneri" means something like "river". Like a wadi, it is characterised by the fact that it is almost always dry. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

View of the Enneri Bessama (Tibesti). Note the small figure: it serves as a scale for the landscape. "Enneri" means something like "river". Like a wadi, it is characterised by the fact that it is almost always dry. The road that connects Bardaï with Soboroum runs through the bed of the Enneri Bessama. The volcanic tuff seems to have been cut with a gigantic sword stroke; soft, very fine sand, which makes walking difficult, fills the bottom of the Enneri. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

View of the Enneri Bessama (Tibesti). Note the two men: they serve as a scale for the landscape. "Enneri" means something like "river". Like a wadi, it is characterised by the fact that it is almost always dry. The road that connects Bardaï with Soboroum runs through the bed of the Enneri Bessama. The volcanic tuff seems to have been cut with a gigantic sword stroke; soft, very fine sand, which makes walking difficult, fills the bottom of the Enneri. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Humans and animals feast on the delicious water at Guelta Mourzo. Note the steep rock face that prevents the sun's rays from entering, thus keeping evaporation to a minimum. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

About 60 km southeast of Bardaï is Soborom, the "spa" of Tibesti. The place is also called the underground workshop of the devils of Tibesti. -Chad - 1967

About sixty kilometres south-east of Bardaï, lies the Tibesti 'spa', Soborom, which is well known to the ethnic groups of the country who sometimes come from far and wide to immerse themselves in its volcanic pools of warm water. The sulphurous vapours rise from the earth's belly and give the earth its pale green colour. Soborom: the underground factory of the devils of Tibesti, an enchantment of colours, a wild and eventful nature. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The Tubu, inhabitants of the Tibesti, the mighty mountain massif between Libya and Chad, are the only ones who receive free thermal cures here. In fact, the sulphur springs of Soboroum enjoy a very good reputation among them, because even the Saharan inhabitants are not spared rheumatism. However, where we would have installed showers and bathtubs, there is so far only the Dantesque landscape of a volcanic crater with its multi-coloured rocks, its fumaroles - sulphurously stinking gas eruptions - and its water and steam fountains. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

60 kilometres to the south-east of Bardaï, the hot springs of Soboroum smoke. The sulphurous vapours rise from the belly of the earth and the sulphur is deposited in a blue-green carpet. Soboroum is the thermal bath of Tibesti. It attracts the sick from far and wide, who plunge into the pools of running warm water. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Crystallised sulphur in the hot springs of Soboroum. Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Witnesses of the Second World War : near Zouar is the "Garage Leclerc", a rocky cleft where the wrecks of the Bedford vehicles of the Leclerc column are hidden, as if petrified by time that has stopped in this endless desert.- Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Witnesses of the Second World War : At the airfield of Zouar, one finds this French plane - Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

In the vicinity of Zouar, as evening falls on the Enneri Zouarké, the Tibesti develops in all its grandeur and wild beauty punctuated by ancient volcanoes. - Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Wind vortex in the Enneri Bardague. In the background the siluette of Pic Toussidé - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Landscape in the Enneri Bardague. In the background the siluette of Ehi Mousue - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Characteristic Tibesti landscape in the surroundings of Zouar, a military post. In the background, the silhouette of Pic Botoum stands out against the sky. - Chad - 1967

Behind this fissured lava field rises the majestic, 2416 m high Pic Botoum - 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

One of Marshal Leclerc's Tubu guides, inspector of troops in North Africa, who distinguished himself in Chad and Libya during the Second World War. - 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

Tubu woman. The Tubu are pastoral nomads who mainly keep goats and sheep, and they also breed camels. Donkeys are also kept as work and pack animals. In contrast to the Tuareg, who are neighbours in the west, the Tubu have an egalitarian form of society; the position of women is stronger than in most other Islamic ethnic groups. - 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

North African Thorn-tailed Dragon(Uromastyx acanthinura) - Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

In Abada, between Zouar and Faya in Chad, there is a curious, very ancient necropolis where the gender of the buried dead is expressed by the shape of the flat stone stelae, about 1.30 metres high. Those intended for men are rounded at the top, while those for women have a slight cleft in the centre of the crown. The survival of this custom is attested in several countries, but here it is very old, certainly pre-Islamic ... This emphasis on sexual dimorphism is undoubtedly related to magic, for it is now very rarely found among developed peoples. - Zouar - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

One of the most magnificent sights in the Sahara: the large «Natron Hole» in Tibesti (Chad). This former crater has a diameter of 6 kilometres and a depth of 600 metres. The Toubou, nomads of the Tibesti, extract the sodium bicarbonate there, which is intended for the camels, and load it onto the donkeys, the only animals that can walk the very narrow and very steep path. – Tibesti - Chad - 1967

The Saharan atmosphere is so strange, so out of keeping with the one that has shaped our minds, that it is not difficult to forget what we know about geography when we come into contact with it. In reality, we are only in front of another aspect of the planet and it is in the presence of a dormant volcano, and not a dead one like the one shown here, that we find our sense of the Universal. The "Natron hole" is, as its name suggests, a salt reserve in a country where salt is scarce. The Tubu who exploit it reserve it for their animals. - Chad - 1967

On the edge of the Ténéré desert, towards the Tibesti, the relief of the Sahara winds in the strange shapes of stone sculptures. - Chad - 1967

The dunes of Tarka, with their strange rock formations, are located on the edge of the Tibesti River in Chad, near the border with Niger. - Tibesti - Chad - 1967

Chapter 7: TIBESTI – Chad

The Tibesti is a volcanic mountain range in Chad and is also the highest mountain range in the Sahara. Its northern foothills extend several hundred kilometres into the territory of Libya. It rises on the northern edge of the Chad Basin and emerges from the flat desert landscape with several strata. The high mountains are very rugged in places and feature numerous volcanic craters and cinder cones. The Tibesti is one of the most isolated regions on earth and is populated by the Tubu. The regional administrative centre is the town of Bardaï with around 1500 inhabitants. Here we can see an old lava field with the Oudingueur volcano in the background.

Prehistoric rock art is known from various places in the form of engravings and paintings. Large engravings of wild animals date from the earliest phase, from around 8000 BC. The most important regional site for this is Enneri Gonoa. The so-called ‘Man of Gonoa’ is one of the best-known motifs of the Eastern Sahara. Polychrome paintings increasingly appear in the later phases. Initially, they mainly depict cattle, later camels and armed warriors.

634 - Oudingueur (Tibesti). - We enter Chad, where a vast volcanic massif occupies much of the northern part. The engraved bull seen here leads a large series of works created either by pecking or by lines of varying depth. There seem to be no large painting sites. The rear measures 0.19 m in height.

635 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - Engraved herd of bovids.

636 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - Very schematic but clearly identifiable cheetah, drawn by Maximilien Bruggmann from his photograph.

636 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - (original photo) Very schematic but clearly identifiable cheetah, drawn by Maximilien Bruggmann from his photograph.

637 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - Drawing by Maximilien Bruggmann representing six figures from a fresco that contains eighteen in total, spanning 1.55 m in length. Each figure measures about 0.20 m in height. It may depict a dance scene. Each individual wears a feather, sometimes two, on their head. It is unclear if they are dressed, as their visible genitalia suggest otherwise. However, it is likely not ithyphallicism.

637 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - (original photo) Drawing by Maximilien Bruggmann representing six figures from a fresco that contains eighteen in total, spanning 1.55 m in length. Each figure measures about 0.20 m in height. It may depict a dance scene. Each individual wears a feather, sometimes two, on their head. It is unclear if they are dressed, as their visible genitalia suggest otherwise. However, it is likely not ithyphallicism.

638 - Bardai (Tibesti). - Pastoral scene combining figures and bovids. Each individual is equipped with some sort of sickle. The curvature does not suggest that it is a "boomerang."

639 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - The same scene as the previous one, and in the same style. An unexplained semicircular form is added. From the tail of the central cow to the farthest tip of the horn: 0.68 m.

640 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - Two very curious, elongated figures showing a sex in the shape of a "winding mechanism." The profile is sketched. The postures are accurate. The lines were previously dotted. The man on the right seems to be preparing to throw a spear. He is 0.83 m tall.

641 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - A large bovine rendered through rough but regular dotting. The horns are exaggerated, and the posture is somewhat schematic.

642 - Bardaï (Tibesti). - A cow with overloaded horns. The added horns are asymmetrical, which is also found in nature. From the top of the left horn to the front hoof: 0.63 m.

643 - Enneri Bardagué (Tibesti). - Three ostriches dotted and schematized. The one on the left is 0.42 m in height.

644 - Enneri Bardagué (Tibesti). - Kudu (antelope) depicted with dotting.

645 - Enneri Bessama (Tibesti). - Two schematic bovines with exaggerated horns.

646 - Enneri Bessama (Tibesti). - A large bull, dotted with lyre-shaped horns. From the nose to the tip of the tail: 0.57 m.

647 - Enneri Direnao (Tibesti). - The "Lancer." Coarse dotting that still conveys the figure's stance, with three feathers (?) on the head, a short tunic, and a belt. From the top of the central feather to the feet: 0.49 m.

648 - Enneri Direnao (24 km from Bardaï, Tibesti). - Lancer, drawn from a photo by Maximilien Bruggmann. Note the disproportion of the spear, whose iron is larger than the man's body. The spear measures 0.50 m.

648 - Enneri Direnao (24 km from Bardaï, Tibesti). - (original photo) Lancer, drawn from a photo by Maximilien Bruggmann. Note the disproportion of the spear, whose iron is larger than the man's body. The spear measures 0.50 m.

649 - Enneri Direnao (Tibesti). - Another lancer between two bovines. His costume resembles that of the Swiss Guard! The spear is oversized, and his abdomen is reduced to a line. He has not only three feathers on his head but also "appendages" hanging from his ears. From the top of the central feather to the feet: 0.27 m.

650 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - The engraving begins to show the damage from amateur photographers who do not hesitate to rub, wet, or coat it with various products, without concern for preserving this rare artwork. It depicts a naked man with a dog-like profile and harmonious proportions, despite the slightly elongated legs. He carries an unclear, short object on his right shoulder. It is engraved with shallow but regular lines, and the artist adhered to real anatomy for the body. The representation of the sex is direct and clear. Height of the figure: 1.87 m.

651 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Deeply engraved elephant. The smallest one preceding it is probably not from the same period. Typical landscape of Gonoa in a field of volcanic rocks. From the front of the small elephant to the hind leg of the large one: 1.60 m.

652 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Pastoral scene engraved by puncturing in a very decadent style. The first archer on the right is 0.41 m tall.

653 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Elephant rendered primarily with straight lines, giving a geometric look to this engraving, which is recent in style but rare: 0.41 m tall. Only the back and trunk are slightly curved. From the base of the tail to the hind leg: 0.88 m.

654 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Two spirals in reverse order, with the higher spiral continuing the lower one. Mediocre engraving. Diameter of one spiral: 0.15 m.

655 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - A large elephant towers over a bull with lyre-shaped horns whose belly is marked with a vertical line. Between the two, a later camel. Note that the elephant has no observable eye. The belly of the elephant, at its center, measures 0.57 m.

656 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - On a beautiful fresco of eight finely engraved giraff. Above, a punctuated bovine, later in date. Inside the bovine, there is an inexplicable structure. The very small man standing in front of the first giraffe, on the left, measures 0.14 m in height.

657 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Punctuated and deeply engraved bull. Although clumsy, the engraver has made an effort.

658 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Beautiful naturalistic engravings of giraffes, with artistic rendering of the animals’ fur. From the hump of the back of the giraffe on the right to its hind legs: 1.16 m.

659 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Deeply engraved bovine. From the muzzle to the start of the tail: 0.72 m.

660 - Gonoa (Tibesti). - Giraffes engraved with long, fine lines. The insides of the legs and heads are polished. The legs of the animal on the right are oversized. A small figure and various animals are visible between the two giraffes. From the hump of the back of the largest giraffe to the level of the legs: 0.94 m.

Photo Gallery

Chapter 7: TIBESTI – Chad