Ténéré desert and Gerewol festival
Niger , named after the river of the same name, consists for the most part of desert. In the center is even the 'desert of deserts' such as the Tenéré also called. According to experts, the most beautiful sand dunes in the Sahara are also located here. They gave up a secret not so long ago: a dinosaur graveyard! The dunes are a great contrast to the black rocks, green oases and waterfalls of the Aïr Mountains. Not only is there the highest mountain in the country, Mt. Bagzane (20220, but also a ten kilometer wide crater. Near the village of Iferouâne , the Tuaregs hold an annual cultural festival with song, dance, poetry and camel races. The mighty empire of the 'blue men' flourished here in the fifteenth century with Agadez as its capital. Today the city is known for its dirt roads, ocher-coloured mud buildings in the Sudanese style and Grande Mosquée with a minaret that can be climbed. A hundred kilometers outside the city, near the village of In-Gall, every year after the rainy season, Peul herders gather with their cattle. That gets mineral-rich grass and water or a salt cure. That explains why this social event, which attracts many visitors, is known as 'La Cure Salée'. During the same period, the Wodabe nomads related to de Peul organize their annual Gerewol festival that revolves around dancing in which young single men with body paintings try to attract the attention of marriageable women.
