El Mreyye

El Mreyye is a great sandy plain in the western Sahara, crossed by low, winding dunes. Water is scarce across this exposed country, and travellers have had to carry provisions over long stretches between wells. The desert routes linked the salt country of Taghaza and Taoudenni with settlements farther south and west. Guides and camel drivers needed a close knowledge of the terrain to move caravans across a landscape with few landmarks and little shelter.