The Algerian Sahara is the most varied of African deserts. Four times the size of France, it presents all the faces the wilderness can take: seas of sand dunes, rugged mountains, lush wadis, desperately flat plateaux, stone plains which estend beyond the horizon... However, and this always remains a cause of wonder, men have been living in this harsh environment for millenia. In many of the oases which springs have allowed to blossom, the refreshing shadow of the palm trees turns the orchards into 'unexpected paradises' ('paradis inattendus' in French). The Neolithic hunter-gatherers have left countless masterpieces on the walls of the caves of the Tassili of the Azdjers. The Tuaregs are developing new strategies to survive in the desert as they are forced to abandon their traditional nomadic way of life. Last but not least, oil has become one of the most important assets of the region.
This book was produced by a Franco-Algerian team of scholars on the occasion of the exhibition 'Saharas d'Algérie' presented at the Paris Museum of Natural History. It gives a global and up-to-date vision of two million square kilometres South of the Atlas mountains.