Adrar

Adrar is a market village and oasis in the kingdom of Tuwat, in the heart of the Sahara Desert some 650 mi. south-southeast of Algiers. The oasis is one of a series that run north to south, forming an important tran-Saharan route from Timbuktou or Gao on the Niger River to the Saadi Empire and the Barbary Coast. The inhabitants are the Djang, a species of Guinean-Berber peoples who possess four arms.

Temperatures are consistently sweltering during the summer and early autumn, occasionally rising to feverish degrees, being pleasant to warm in winter. Winter nights can be chilly and frost is by no means unknown, though the days are sunny and dry. Rainfall is 14 in. per year, most of that falling between late January and April.

Adrar was founded in the 2nd century AD, though caravans have passed through the area for the last two thousand years. The origin of the Djang is obscure; they are believed to have emigrated from the south, perhaps from Guinea Coast. It may be that earlier they came to Earth from another plane of existence. European and Arabic geographers only became familiar with Adrar and the surrounding area of Tuwat in the early 14th century.

Goods are traded in the bazaar, though no commercial products originate with Adrar itself.