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Tuareg is a nation whose homeland extends throughout the Sahara and whose history extends back thousands of years. After a difficult journey along the desert trail, we arrived at the city of "Agadaz", which is the capital of the Tuareg in "Al-Ayr" region, far north of Niger. We are greeted at the entrance to the city by the old mosque, which was built in 1515 and which was a symbol of Islamic architecture for many centuries. 

"Agadaz" is a city of clay and its streets are narrow as a maze, and it is an important point on the trade routes. Also, it is an obligatory stopping point between the oases in the north and the west on the road to Sudan. The name of the city of Agadas means in the Tuareg language,"the meeting". This is what the "African Leon" tells us, and its founding dates back to 1512. It is home to a complex mixture of People and tribes. Many of the Tuareg here adopted a stable lifestyle, especially those who are called the Black Tuareg or "Fulans" and who come from the enslaved class who mixed with the Tuareg masters. Most of them work in agriculture, although they did not forget to herd livestock. They were influenced by many people living in the same area as the Hausa and Teutonic groups.

After spending a few days at the house of a friend from the region, we were finally able to find a truck to transport goods and goods to reach the oasis of "Timia" located in the heart of the Al-Ayr Mountains. The Al-Ayr Mountains are located in the north of Agadaz and cover an area the size of Switzerland. Volcanic mountains reach an average height of seven hundred meters, although the highest peaks belong to Mount "Bakzan", which reaches a height of 2022 meters. Through its valleys flow small seasonal rains that irrigate the acacia trees. In these valleys we found two camps for the "Kal Iwi" group. Of the Tuareg, their homes are huts with a scattering of mats. 

The "Kal Aui" group is considered one of the best caravan leaders of the Tuareg, and the commercial traffic is the mainstay of their economy, as it starts from the mountains of Al-Ayr along two main roads, "Tfarti" to the west, which crosses the Teneri Desert and reaches To "Belma" and the second road is "Aran" to the south, which crosses the country of "Hausa" and leads to the city of "Kano" in Nigeria.

Each caravan driver takes a month to prepare for the journey; they have to prepare the goods for barter and gather fodder for the camels. Then they join the drivers of other convoys. It is said that in 1988 a convoy reached "Belma" with more than five thousand camels. The Al-Ayr region is home to about six thousand Tuareg.

The wind is the greatest sculptor of the landscape. Sand slowly strips the rocky mountains. These mountains are semi-desert in nature and crossed by small valleys and narrow valleys where plant life isplentiful.

The Tuareg camps are scattered all over the area and their fragile huts made of mats are unmovable and easy to build. They leave and move on, following the usual nomadic routes, making use of the structures others left behind.

The women here are responsible for weaving mats. They preserve the secret of the ancient Tuareg culture in poems and songs and raise their children in the language of "Tamashaq". They dedicate a great deal of time to their personal appearance. Her husband must find her when he comes back in the best of clothes. The Tuareg care about the reputation that they have the most beautiful women. Tuareg women do not hide their faces, unlike men who hide their faces from the wind. Women have their rights and can express and impose their opinions sometimes. They are treated with great respect, as they are responsible for the domestic tasks and grazing, while the men take care of the farming, forge and trade work.

I joined one of the small caravans heading to the far eastern frontier bordering Chad to learn the unknown customs of this people, different from all the peoples of the desert. From Far away, one of the caravans returning from the long barter journey waves to us. They are coming from the salt mines in "Belma". A month has passed, and they are traveling on six hundred camels, the age of which does not exceed a year, loaded with valuable loads of salt, and they still have forty days to reach their destination, the northern markets of Nigeria.

These caravan politicians have to cross Al-Taniri, which is a desert within another desert, and its name is Aton, meaning the furnace. The sun's rays here kill any sign of life, and the blazing east wind erases any trace of a path. These paths are nothing but the thorny bush, which is an indication of the proximity of the coast from here.

"Dogo" is the name of the leader of the caravan, and he knows the name of the wide map of the horizon of the vast deserts. The knowledge that was passed on from generation to generation enables them to find their way in cold desert nights and to their camel market across the sandy seas. 

Water is the most precious treasure here. It is the difference between life and death, but it is not easy to get it. The people have to dig deep wells, and water the cattle daily. It is an endless task. When the sun rises, the shepherds begin to reach the wells. With their livestock, coming from their lands on the backs of donkeys, they carry water in rubber and leather bags. The camels drink first, then the cows, finally the sheep and goats.

Each tribe has its own wells, so they impose a royalty on other tribes, but the ancient Tuareg law does not allow them to impose a fee for people drinking. In fact, a person who prevents the thirsty from drinking is punished with death. 

Well-diggers and blacksmiths occupy a vital position here in Tuareg society. Without diggers, cattle will die of thirst, and without blacksmiths they will have no weapons to defend themselves. Today, the Tuareg are moving armed with "takoba", which are sharp swords on both sides, in addition to the daggers that they hide under their clothes. In the old days they were fierce warriors who were the masters of the desert, and no one would be tempted to enter their areas because their law is contrary to every law that may be imposed They are the Tuareg people, the blue men, who inhabit the great desert.