Ouara

Ouara was the capital of Wadai, a sultanate founded in the seventeenth century by Abd al-Karim. His royal town stood among the hills, its palace enclosed by a great wall and a mosque outside the enclosure. The palace contained the ruler’s residence, a council hall, and quarters for the women of his household, while a high tower watched over the settlement.

In the early nineteenth century Sultan Sabun sought a direct route across the Sahara to the Mediterranean. Around 1809 or 1810 a trader from Jalu reached Ouara, opening negotiations that established a caravan connection with Benghazi. Bideyat guides led the first caravans through their own country. Wadai thus gained a northern outlet for its commerce without relying entirely on routes controlled by neighbouring powers.

The later city of Biltine lies here.