Agadez is the largest city in northern Niger, lying in the Sahara and is the capital of Aïr , one of the traditional Tuareg federations.

The city was founded before the fourteenth century and gradually became the most important Tuareg city, supplanting Assodé, by growing around trans-Saharan trade. The city still sees the arrival of caravans, bringing salt from Bilma.

In 1449, Agadez became a sultanate, while around 1500 it was conquered by the Songhai Empire. At this point, the city had a population of around 30,000 people and was a key passage for the medieval caravans trading between the West African cities of Kano and Timbuktu and the North African oases of Ghat, Ghadames , and Tripoli, on the Mediterranean shore. Decline set in after the Moroccan invasion, and the population sank to less than 10,000.

The city was taken by the French around 1900, who ruthlessly crushed a briefly successful rebellion under Kaocen Ag Mohammed in 1916. Later, Agadez became an important location in the Tuareg Rebellion of the 1990s.

Today, Agadez flourishes as a market town and as a centre for the transportation of the uranium mined in the surrounding area. Notable buildings in the city include the Agadez Grand Mosque , originally dating from 1515 but rebuilt in the same style in 1844, the Kaocen Palace (now a hotel) and the Agadez Sultan's Palace . The city is also known for its camel market and its silver and leatherwork .

Agadez international airport was named after Mano Dayak, the Tuareg leader who is native to the region.

External links

• Maps of Niger, pictures of Agadez, Tuaregs and handcraft from Niger