Tanezrouft

The northern Tanezrouft is a vast and waterless tract of the Sahara, where exposed stone and sand offer little shelter or grazing. Crossing it required travellers to carry water and provisions between widely separated sources. Caravan journeys through the desert depended on experienced guides and careful preparation; a lost animal or a delay could threaten the entire party. The severity of this landscape made it a formidable barrier between the oases of the north and the lands of the Niger.