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Kaouar
 
 
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The Kaouar, or Kaouar Cliffs (Falaise Kaouar, Kaouar-tal) is a north-south escarpment
Escarpment

In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope....
 running some 150 km in north east Niger
Niger

Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
. Surrounded by the Ténéré
Ténéré

The T?n?r? is a desert region in the south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger into western Chad, occupying an area of over 154,440 square miles ....
 desert and the dunes of the Erg of Bilma
Erg of Bilma

The Erg of Bilma is a Sand dunes in the T?n?r? desert region of the south central Sahara. The Erg of Bilma stretches from Fachi, east of the A?r Mountains in north central Niger, east past the town of Bilma, on to the Chad border....
, easterly winds striking the 100 meter high escarpment of Kaouar provide easy access to groundwater for ten oases
Oasis

In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough....
 on the leeward side. Its highest point is at the northern tip of the range: the Pic Zoumri at 576 meters.

Running south to north, Bilma
Bilma

Bilma is an oasis town in north east Niger with a population of around 2,500 people. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment....
, Dirkou
Dirkou

Dirkou is a town in the Agadez Region of north-eastern Niger.TransportThe town is served by Dirkou Airport....
, Aney, and Séguédine are the largest towns.

The Kaouar oases are famous for salt and date production, and were along the route of the great Bornu
Bornu Empire

The Bornu Empire was a medieval African state of Nigeria from 1389 to 1893. It was a continuation of the great Kanem Empire founded centuries earlier by the Sayfawa Dynasty....
 to Fezzan
Fezzan

Fezzan is a south-western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara....
 caravan trail.






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The Kaouar, or Kaouar Cliffs (Falaise Kaouar, Kaouar-tal) is a north-south escarpment
Escarpment

In geomorphology, an escarpment is a transition zone between different physiogeographic provinces that involves a sharp, steep elevation differential, characterized by a cliff or steep slope....
 running some 150 km in north east Niger
Niger

Niger , officially the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east....
. Surrounded by the Ténéré
Ténéré

The T?n?r? is a desert region in the south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger into western Chad, occupying an area of over 154,440 square miles ....
 desert and the dunes of the Erg of Bilma
Erg of Bilma

The Erg of Bilma is a Sand dunes in the T?n?r? desert region of the south central Sahara. The Erg of Bilma stretches from Fachi, east of the A?r Mountains in north central Niger, east past the town of Bilma, on to the Chad border....
, easterly winds striking the 100 meter high escarpment of Kaouar provide easy access to groundwater for ten oases
Oasis

In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source. Oases also provide habitat for animals and even humans if the area is big enough....
 on the leeward side. Its highest point is at the northern tip of the range: the Pic Zoumri at 576 meters.

Running south to north, Bilma
Bilma

Bilma is an oasis town in north east Niger with a population of around 2,500 people. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment....
, Dirkou
Dirkou

Dirkou is a town in the Agadez Region of north-eastern Niger.TransportThe town is served by Dirkou Airport....
, Aney, and Séguédine are the largest towns.

The Kaouar oases are famous for salt and date production, and were along the route of the great Bornu
Bornu Empire

The Bornu Empire was a medieval African state of Nigeria from 1389 to 1893. It was a continuation of the great Kanem Empire founded centuries earlier by the Sayfawa Dynasty....
 to Fezzan
Fezzan

Fezzan is a south-western region of modern Libya. It is largely desert but broken by mountains, uplands, and dry river valleys in the north, where oases enable ancient towns and villages to survive deep in the otherwise inhospitable Sahara....
 caravan trail. This was the major point of contact between the African Sahel
Sahel

File:Sahel Map-Africa rough.pngFile:AT0713 map.pngThe Sahel or Sahel Belt is a semi-arid tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion in Africa, which forms the transition between the Sahara to the north and the slightly less arid savanna belt to the south, known as the Sudan ....
 and the Mediterranean civilisations until the 19th century. Numerous archeological sites and rock paintings attest to human habitation here reaching back some 10,000 years to when the area was surrounded by lush grasslands.

In 1997, the Kaouar was submitted as a tentative candidate for UNESCO
UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on 16 November 1945....
 World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site that is on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 Sovereign state which are elected by their General Assembly for a four-year term....
 status as part of The salt route from Air to Kaouar.

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