Niger

Agadez

WHS Score 2.96
rate
Votes 9 Average 3.61
Show votes
Votes for Agadez

2.5

  • Thomas Buechler

3.0

  • Gianmarco
  • marcel staron

3.5

  • Luis Filipe Gaspar
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

4.0

  • Harry Mitsidis
  • Sascha Grabow
  • Stanislaw Warwas

5.0

  • Rogue_Onesie

The Historic Centre of Agadez comprises an original mudbrick urban landscape that developed when the Sultanate of Aïr started a process of sedentarisation.

Agadez was an important centre in the trans-Saharan caravan trade from the 15th century onward. The town was built based on the structure of existing Tuareg encampments. Notable buildings, next to many traditional houses, include the Palace of the Sultan of Aïr, the Grand Mosque including its 27 metre tall minaret (the world’s tallest minaret made entirely of mudbrick), and Hotel de l’Aïr, originally a palace.

Community Perspective: the common thread here is overcoming the non-stop red travel warnings that have been in place for this Tuareg stronghold since 2007. Thomas managed to reach it by bus in 2011, while Wojciech did so by domestic flight in 2019: “It is really authentic and gives an impression of how Saharan cities looked like a couple of hundred years ago”.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Agadez (Historic Centre of Agadez) (ID: 1268)
Country
Niger
Status
Inscribed 2013 Site history
History of Agadez
2013: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iii
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org
Related Resources
News Article
  • Aug. 18, 2018 news24.com — Fears for historic city of Agadez as flooding continues
  • June 27, 2013 khaleejtimes.com — WH status breathes new hope into Niger

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Urban landscape: African
  • Urban landscape: Medieval European
Travel Information
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Red Zone Travel Advisory
Niger fully off-limits
Recent Connections
View all (17) .
Connections of Agadez
Geography
  • Desert Cultural Landscapes
    Crit iv "From the 15th century, Agadez, "the gateway to the desert", became an exceptional crossroads for the caravan trade."
  • Sahara
    located on the south-eastern fringes of the Sahara desert (AB ev)
Trivia
  • Minority communities
    Tuareg capital of Niger. The Tuaregs constitute about 10 percent of total population
  • Hotels in Historic Buildings
    The Hotel de l'Aïr is a palace built in 1917 for Kaossen, the leader of the rebellion against the colonial power. It was later converted into a hotel. The hotel restaurant has remarkable ribbed vaults, supported by four large pillars. (AB ev)
History
  • Berbers
    The historic centre of Agadez dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Sultanate of Aïr established itself there, encouraging the consolidation of Tuareg tribes and the development of trans-Saharan economic and cultural exchanges. (Nom file) The city is still inhabited mainly be Tuaregs.
  • African Kingdoms
    Sultanate of Agadez (1404 - 1500… then Songhai)

    See en.wikipedia.org

  • Trans Saharan trade routes
Architecture
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
Human Activity
  • Salt
    It also formed part of the Saharan 'Salt Route' leading towards the Sahel in Africa (AB ev)
Constructions
  • Notable minarets
    a lofty minaret made entirely of mudbrick (AB ev)
  • Pyramids
    Its 27 metre tall minaret is in the form of a truncated pyramid. (AB ev)
Timeline
Visiting conditions
News
news24.com 08/18/2018
Fears for historic city of Agadez …
khaleejtimes.com 06/27/2013
WH status breathes new hope into N…

Community Reviews

Show full reviews
First published: 11/04/19.

Wojciech Fedoruk

Agadez

Agadez (Inscribed)

Agadez by Wojciech Fedoruk

There are not many big cities in Sahara, so Agadez was always outstanding - it is located on the crossroads of trade routes North-South and East-West of the desert. Agadez was (and still is) treated by Tuaregs as their capital. Its tourist attractivity increased in the 1980s, with the increase of popularity of the Paris-Dakar Rally. Even at the beginning of the 21st century, every self-respecting globetrotter exploring West Africa stopped at Agadez, visiting nearby Tenere National Park and the Air Mountains. Air France maintained regular scheduled flights from French cities, and hotels and tourism experienced real desert in the city. Then, however, much worse times came to the region.

In 2007, another Tuareg rebellion broke out in the region, destabilizing the province and bringing several hundred deaths. Although in 2009 peace was established (with Gaddafi acting as a mediator), but soon after that Al-Qaeda and Boko Haram messed up and the situation in neighboring Mauritania, Libya and Tchad suffered a drastic deterioration. It was better in Niger itself, but it was also dangerous to go beyond Niamey and the south of the country. Tourists left Agadez for a long time.

At the moment, Western governments still issue red travel warnings to the whole Agadez region. But it turned out that Niger Airlines have regular flights from Niamey to Agadez so it could not be that dangerous and we decided to go. Ticket Niamey - Agadez and Agadez - Zinder costs approximately 330 euros per person (cannot be …

Keep reading 0 comments
First published: 23/06/13.

Thomas Buechler

Agadez

Agadez (Inscribed)

Agadez by Thomas Buechler

Agadez has been on my African agenda for a very long time, and it was only in autumn 2011 that I made my way to this remote Tuareg outpost in Niger's northern Air region.There were travel warnings in place by almost all western governments, and direct flights to Agadez have all been cancelled.The only practical way to reach the Sahel town was the early morning bus that leaves the Niger's capital Niamey at 4.30h. A sunrise to sunset expedition that usually takes 12 long hours.

As we reached the outskirts of Agadez, there was a police checkup, my passport was taken away, and I got the message to show up at the Police Headquarters the next day for interview!but no problem, I was just advised not to leave

town for some Sahel adventure without informing the Police headquarters!

The old town of Agadez is manageable in just one day by foot and the main attractions like the Grand Mosque, originally built 1515,rebuild in 1844, then the Sultans Palace, yes there is still a real Sultan residing here, and sometimes he even gives audience to tourists and visitors!

The real charm of Agadez is to just wander around in its narrow sandy alleys, climb the old houses, the best view that can be enjoyed is from the roof terrace of a restaurant just opposite the Grand Mosque.

Also worth a visit is the old bakery, la Maison du boulanger, its a perfect place to get a first hand impression how daily …

Keep reading 0 comments