Mouydir

Northwest of the Ahaggar massif, Mouydir rises from the central Sahara in a chain of rocky heights and plateaux. Dry valleys radiate from the uplands, some losing their waters in the sands to the west. In sheltered gorges, pools known as gueltas retain water after the rains, an unexpected presence among the bare rock. The broken plateau forms part of the great desert country between the Ahaggar and the oases farther north.