Ajjer

Abalessa lies in the Ahaggar mountains of southern Algeria, and Djanet, to the northeast, is an oasis at the edge of the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau. The route between them crossed open desert, where wells and pastures were few and travellers depended on knowledge of the desert. The sandstone plateau of the Tassili, with its rock engravings, lay alongside the route and served as a landmark for those who crossed the Sahara.