There have been no international vacationers on this space since 2002.
While you consider the Sahara desert, you in all probability consider huge sandy plains with nothing however dunes and solitude.
However in northern Niger, deserted fortress cities break up the horizon.
What are Niger’s fortress cities?
Fortress cities, also referred to as ‘ksars’, corresponding to Djaba, Djado and Fachi had been constructed a whole lot of years in the past as safety from raids by Tuareg, Arab and Toubou nomads.
They’re normally set in oases of palms or date bushes, offering shade and meals for inhabitants. The cities are constructed from salt and clay and normally sit excessive up on a rock, offering a glance out level.
Nowadays lots of the fortress cities have been deserted. Although they had been ravaged for hundreds of years by raids, as soon as the primary Europeans arrived in 1906 the ‘ksars’ had been now not of use and had been left to damage. Some components have now been lined by the Saharan sands.
Kiari Sidi Tchagam, a neighborhood conventional chief in Fachi, hopes the cities will quickly be recognised by UNESCO.
“It’s a part of our tradition and, greater than that, it’s a part of our complete historical past,” he explains.
Is it protected to go to Niger?
The present journey recommendation from the British FCDO and French Ministry of Overseas Affairs advises in opposition to travelling to Niger.
As a consequence of battle in surrounding international locations, no international vacationers have visited the deserted fortresses since 2002.
It’s hoped the nation will stabilise and tourism will have the ability to return and develop.
“What’s actually lacking as we speak is tourism. And in consequence, the neighborhood doesn’t benefit from this place [Djado Fortress], given the insecurity that’s there, ” explains Abdoulkader Dodo Mamane, Secretary Normal of Chirfa Metropolis Corridor.
Watch the video above to see Niger’s unbelievable misplaced fortress cities.
