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The lush green Sahara by Mike Oard Posted 9-20-2021 The Sahara Desert of northern Africa is one of the driest and hottest locations on Earth (figure 1). In the eastern Sahara, it rains only once every 30 to 50 years. The Sahara Desert covers about 9,200,000 km2 (3,600,000 sq mi), comparable to the size of the entire USA. It is divided into several regions, sometimes by high mountain ranges such as the Ahaggar and Tibesti Mountains (figure 2). Some 74% of the Sahara is covered by sand, with several large ‘sand seas’, such as the Great Sand Sea of eastern...

The Tassili n’Ajjer of Southern Algiers is described as the “largest storehouse of rock paintings in the world”. But could it also be the origins of the ancient Egypt culture ? In January 2003, I made enquiries to visit the Hoggar Mountains and the Tassili n’Ajjer, one of the most enchanting mountain ranges on this planet. The two geographically close but nevertheless quite separate landscapes are located in the Sahara desert in southeast Algeria. I was told that if I could pack my bags immediately (literally), I could join the three weeks’ trip. Unfortunately, I could not, but planned to...

Authorities in southern Libya have uncovered a prehistoric rock art site believed to be as much as 10,000 years old, following a report from a resident who spotted unusual engravings on rock faces in the Al-Hasawna Mountains, near Wadi Mubarak. The discovery has sparked major archaeological interest and led to immediate protective action by Libyan officials. The markings were first brought to the attention of the Sabha branch of the Tourist Police and Antiquities Protection Agency. A formal investigation was launched soon after, with the Public Order Prosecution in Sabha and the Fezzan Antiquities Authority notified to oversee the site’s...

In central Libya, the endless flat desert of the Sahara gives way to something unexpected: a jet-black ocean of frozen rock. Covering more than 40,000 square kilometers, Al Haruj is one of the largest volcanic fields in Africa, shaped over millions of years by repeated eruptions. Hundreds of extinct cinder cones and ancient fissure vents rise from its sun-baked plateau, where dark basalt flows meet the shifting sands. In this documentary, we explore the volcanic history of this remote landscape and how vast lava flows reshaped the Sahara, leaving behind one of North Africa's most desolate and striking geological monuments....