Adrar des Ifoghas
The Adrar des Ifoghas (also Adrar des Iforas, Tamasheq: tifinagh alphabet, ⴰⴷⵔⴰⵔ ⵏ ⵉⴼⵓⵖⴰⵙ, Adrar n Ifoghas Ifoghas' Mountain) is a massif in Mali's Kidal Region that extends into Algeria. It has an area of about 250,000 square kilometers (97,000 square miles).
Geography
The Adrar des Ifoghas area is characterized by wide, shallow valleys, and is strewn with piles of eroded granite blocks. The massif's valleys open to the Tamesna plain on the east, to the Telemsi fosse on the west, to the western basin of the Azaouak valley on the south, and to the Tanezrouft on the north. Settlements of the area include Kidal, Aguel'hoc, Boghassa, Essouk, and Tessalit.
The Adrar des Ifoghas is known locally as "Adagh"; "Adrar" is the Berber word for mountain, while "Ifogha" is the name of an aristocratic Tuareg clan, "Kel Ifoghas", who have dominated the region for generations. Like most Tuareg, the Kel Ifoghas are nomadic, raising camels, goats, and sheep for sustenance and for sale.
The area is rich in archaeological remains, particularly rock drawings which depict men hunting, farming, and cattle-rearing; the skeleton of Asselar man was also found in the area by Wladimir Besnard and Théodore Monod. In recent years, the Adrar des Ifoghas has also become popular for treks.
