TryGOLD- Free

IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE TUAREGS
Reader's Digest India|March 2024
A journey to the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau in Algeria reveals rock paintings dating back millennia
- Alice Brouard
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE TUAREGS

Wrapped in a superb, green-blue cotton takakat and a white tagelmust around his head, our Tuareg guide's fiery coal eyes are riveted on the horizon. Agaoued Mechar leans on a stick, his chest bent by years of work on this inhospitable land. And what a land! "It's beautiful. It's good!" he says.

Agaoued encourages us to take photos, happy that foreign tourists are once again allowed to visit the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau in southeastern Algeria. From 2008 to 2019, Algeria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended that tourists avoid the area because of a high risk of terrorist activity.

We are standing at the foot of the plateau. An ocean of rocks and sand, it seems to have fallen from the moon: dried wadis, gaping canyons, excavated cliffs and blocks of reddish sandstone burned, crumbled, eroded.At an altitude of 2,000 metres and covering 72,000 square kilometers, the vast area sits on Algeria's borders with Libya and Niger. In this rugged environment, Neolithic peoples painted images of their daily lives, beliefs and myths on walls, crevices and cavities.

Agaoued, 79, knows the plateau down to its smallest folds and can easily find these treasures. Born and raised here, he followed in the footsteps of his father, who guided French explorer Henri Lhote in 1950s expeditions to inventory and reproduce the Tassili n'Ajjer rock paintings.

At the time, few foreigners dared to venture into this remote region. Copies of the paintings made by Lhote and his team, traced on sandstone and then painted with gouache on paper, were exhibited at the Louvre in Paris, bringing world renown to the Tassilian wall art. But the methods employed by Lhote and his team also caused controversy: Moistening the walls to eliminate millennia of dust buildup damaged the original works.

This story is from the March 2024 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2024 edition of Reader's Digest India.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM READER'S DIGEST INDIAView All
Calendar Girls
Reader's Digest India

Calendar Girls

After Molly Baker’s husband died suddenly, her friends organized a year’s worth of support

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025
THE GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION
Reader's Digest India

THE GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION

It's a spectacular sight when countless ruminants cross the Serengeti in search of greener pastures

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2025
Soumitra Chatterjee's Tryst with Destiny
Reader's Digest India

Soumitra Chatterjee's Tryst with Destiny

The encounter that led a budding actor to a legendary filmmaker, and sparked an iconic creative partnership during the golden age of Bengali cinema

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
Frozen in Time
Reader's Digest India

Frozen in Time

The life and work of Vittorio Sella, a pioneer of early mountain photography and the man behind some of the very first images of the Himalayas

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025
HALLUCINATIONS
Reader's Digest India

HALLUCINATIONS

There was a monkey perched on the IV drip stand to the right of my hospital bed. It scowled at me, but I wasn’t afraid: A brief simian visit was part of my daily routine. I never questioned why there was a monkey in the hospital. I wasn’t lucid enough to recognize that my mind was playing tricks on me.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
Music in the Air
Reader's Digest India

Music in the Air

Cuba is bursting with sound, and each region moves to its own defining rhythm

time-read
8 mins  |
February 2025
SHOULD YOU TRY A DETOX TREATMENT?
Reader's Digest India

SHOULD YOU TRY A DETOX TREATMENT?

It's a popular new-year health habit. But science doesn't support it

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025
Ringing True
Reader's Digest India

Ringing True

He thought his late parents' wedding bands were gone forever

time-read
2 mins  |
February 2025
14,000-FOOT MIRACLE
Reader's Digest India

14,000-FOOT MIRACLE

The skydiver fully expected to die when her parachute failed to open. Instead, she's writing the next chapter of her life

time-read
10+ mins  |
February 2025
I SURVIVED!
Reader's Digest India

I SURVIVED!

THREE UNUSUAL MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AS TOLD BY THE PEOPLE WHO NEARLY DIED FROM THEM

time-read
5 mins  |
February 2025

We use cookies to provide and improve our services. By using our site, you consent to cookies. Learn more