Agadez

Agadez
Climate diagram
	Temperature in ° C , precipitation in mm
	Source: wetterkontor.de

Municipality of Agadez
	Municipality of Agadez
	Municipality of Agadez
Coordinates	16 ° 58 ′ N , 7 ° 59 ′ E Coordinates: 16 ° 58 ′ N , 7 ° 59 ′ E
Basic data
Country	Niger
region	Agadez
department	Tchirozérine
ISO 3166-2	NE-1
height	502 m
Residents	118,240 (2012)
Website	www.agadezville.com (French)

Agadez [ aɡaˈdɛs ] (also Agadès ) is the capital of the Agadez region in Niger . With around 118,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city in terms of population in the center of the country. The historic center of Agadez is a UNESCO World Heritage Site .

geography

Location and structure

City View (1997)

Agadez is located in the northern Sahel region and is completely surrounded by the municipality of Dabaga .

The municipality of Agadez is divided into 17 districts, seven rural villages with their own local councils and eight rural hamlets.

The neighborhoods are: Abalan , Agar Garin Saka , Akanfaya , Amarewat , Amdit , Angoual Bayi , Camp Militaire, Camp Militaire Kourou, Dagamanet I, Dagamanet II, Dagamanet III, Founé Imé , Gendarmerie, Hougbéry , Katanga , Misourata, Nassoud Indarawa , Nassarawa , Obitara , Oumourdan Magass , Oumourdan Nafala , Pays Bas, Sabon Gari, Tadalanfaye, Tadallanfaye, Tawayen Sarki and Toudou.

The rural villages with local chiefs are: Alarcess Toudou Bila , Dari, Inbakatane, Inebizguin, Mai Addoua, Ourèye and Tchibnitane.

The rural hamlets are: Alarcess Aladab , Alarcess Alkinkin , Alarcess Azamala (Takaya), Alarcess Tchiguefan , Ikirkiwi, Tajajaratt, Tassakantalam and Timiiao.

Both the 17th degree of north latitude and the 8th degree of longitude run through Agadez and cross in the hamlet of Alarcess Tchiguefan.

climate

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Agadez

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Max. Temperature ( ° C )	29.2	32.0	35.9	39.6	41.4	41.6	39.2	36.9	38.6	37.7	33.5	29.7	O	36.3
Min. Temperature (° C)	10.9	13.1	17.3	21.8	24.4	24.8	23.8	23.0	22.8	20.3	15.4	12.0	O	19.2

Precipitation ( mm )	0	0	0	2	6th	12	35	49	7th	0	0	0	Σ	111

Hours of sunshine ( h / d )	9.6	9.8	9.5	9.3	9.5	9.1	9.3	9.2	9.3	9.9	9.9	9.4	O	9.5

Rainy days ( d )	0	0	0	0	0	2	6th	6th	2	0	0	0	Σ	16

Humidity ( % )	22nd	18th	15th	14th	18th	24	39	45	29	20th	22nd	23	O	24.1

Source: wetterkontor.de

history

According to tradition, the city was founded by Berber tribes in 1449 . In 1515 the city was conquered by the Songhai Empire under Mohamed Askia. When it was conquered by Morocco in 1591 , the Tuareg took control of the city and its surroundings. At that time, it was the capital of the Sultanate of Aïr , which officially continues to this day with limited powers.

Map of the Foureau-Lamy Mission from 1899: Agadez and the mouth of the Tiloua dry valley

Agadez was apparently first visited by Europeans around 1711, namely by two Franciscan missionaries , about whose further fate little is known. The first scientific description of the city, its surroundings and its history comes from the German Africa explorer Heinrich Barth , who reached Agadez in 1850. The city came under the control of France in the course of colonialism around 1900 . It was an important center of the caravan trade .

The first edition of the Dakar Rally in 1979 led through Agadez. The city was one of the venues for the eleventh and so far last time in 1997. In 1988, Agadez received the status of an independent municipality together with nine other Nigerien towns. By then there had been twelve parishes nationwide. In 2009 the city was hit by floods, which caused material damage to over 41,000 residents.

During the civil war in Libya in 2011 , the city had to absorb large flows of refugees from the neighboring country. The people were mostly people who had immigrated to Libya from sub-Saharan African countries years before . In the refugee crisis in Europe from 2015 onwards , Agadez also became a hub for people smuggling towards Europe.

population

Agadez had 118,240 inhabitants at the 2012 census, who lived in 19,226 households. Of these, 110,497 people lived in the city center and 7743 people in the surrounding rural villages and hamlets.

After Niger gained independence in 1960, population growth accelerated significantly due to immigration. The founding of the mining town of Arlit in 1969 led to a temporary decline in the number of inhabitants in Agadez, as Arlit attracted both migrants from the south of the country and young residents of Agadez. Immigration caused by the famine in the Sahel region in the early 1970s has already compensated for this decline.

Population development by years
1926	1936	1947	1956	1964	1970	1977	1988	2001	2012
2,436	3,193	3,977	4,737	7.190	6.125	20,475	49,424	79,228	118,240

Culture and sights

Great Mosque of Agadez (1997)

The historic center of Agadez was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on June 23, 2013. There is a copy of the rock engravings of the Dabous giraffes at the airport . The Agadez market is particularly worth seeing in November when the salt caravans from Bilma arrive.

The city still partially retains the typical Sudanese clay architecture. The Great Mosque of Agadez is located on the western edge of the old town, not far from the palace district. The entire facility covers an area of 1500 square meters. It is built in the Middle Nigerian style of a courtyard mosque, with the inner courtyard being kept very small. According to oral tradition, it is said to have been built at the beginning of the 16th century under Abu Zakarya, a marabout from Fessan , possibly from Gao . The mosque is in good condition (status: 1986), with erosion in the area of the gargoyles to be attested. All entrances now have cement frames. The Qibla wall of the Friday Mosque is, in deviation from the usual fluctuation range of ± 15 °, as precisely aligned geographically. The mosque has several rooms. On all sides of the rooms there are areas, some of which are fenced in with graves. According to Heinrich Barth , the minaret dates from 1844. It is made of clay , tapering to a point and 27 meters high. This makes the minaret the highest mud tower south of the Sahara and visible from afar. It is believed that its model can be found in the oases of M'zabs in Algeria , because the similarity to the towers of Ghardaia and Beni Isguen is striking. Just building a minaret to the mosque was a role model, in the past it was by no means a style-defining feature.

To the southeast of the Friday Mosque, in the Hasna district, is the Hassina Mosque, also a courtyard mosque. According to local imamic information, it is believed that it was founded in 1538, at least in the first half of the 16th century. Their condition is comparable to that of the Friday mosque. With a total area of 149 square meters, it is rather small, but has a 9 meter high minaret and a madrasa , which is housed in an annex building. Other mosques of architectural and historical interest are the Osam da Fodio mosque (also with only one minaret) and a mosque in the center of the village on Hougoubéré Square, which has the peculiarity that an Adhān pedestal was built on the Qibla facade .

To the north of the historic city center is the Palace of Justice, which was built in 1982 according to plans by the architect László Mester de Parajd . The building is designed so that no direct sunlight can penetrate through the windows.

At the beginning of the Islamic month of Muharram , the ten-day New Year of the Tuareg, Bianou , is celebrated in Agadez until Ashura Day . Dances and street processions are accompanied by the large Tobol kettle drum . The event is similar to that in Djanet organized (southern Algeria) Sebiba - Dance Festival.

In the 1960s, a Roman Catholic mission was established. Since 1980 there has been an independent parish of St. Augustin in Agadez, which belongs to the Maradi diocese .

Agadez is the setting for the adventure novel A travers le Sahara , published in 1903 . Aventures merveilleuses de Marius Mercurin by G. Demage. In the novel Sous l'étendard vert from 1935, Joseph Peyré described the siege of the city during the Kaocen revolt of 1916/1917. In Jacqueline Cervon 's novel Le tambour des sables , published in 1972, Agadez is a place where the Tuareg have lost their identity.

Economy and Infrastructure

Market in Agadez (1976)

Tuareg in Agadez (1991)

In addition to traditional trade, cattle breeding ( dromedaries , goats and sheep ) is still important in the area. The Africa explorer Heinrich Barth mentions in his travel reports that gardens were seen in the valley in front of Agadez, which indicate appropriate gardening. He himself observed this in Iferouane . The water was drawn from the well using a lever arm. Oxen were later used as draft animals. The water lifted over leather scoops is still fed to the beds through a canal system.

One of the main industries is the transport of refugees from West Africa to Libya and on to the Mediterranean coast. Agadez has become a hub for migration to Europe. The refugees pay large amounts - in total - to the smugglers , to "fees" to the local police, to the drivers of the buses and trucks that start in Agadez to cross the Sahara, and for services during the waiting time before departure.

Agadez is located on the National Highway 11 , connecting the city with the oasis Ingall in the north and the border with Nigeria connects to the south, and the up to the Nigerien capital Niamey leading National Straße 25 . There is a civil airport in Agadez, Agadez Mano Dayak Airport ( IATA code : AJY, ICAO code : DRZA). About two kilometers south closes another for the armed forces of the United States built the second runway at. (The military airfield , Base aérienne 201 , was inaugurated in August 2019 with a flight of a C-130J from Ramstein. The US has been using drones here since then.)

There are 56 primary schools in Agadez, seven of which are private schools . There are an average of 38 students per primary school teacher (39 nationwide). Agadez is the seat of a Tribunal de Grande Instance, one of the ten civil courts of first instance nationwide.

Personalities

Mano Dayak (~ 1950–1995), political activist, entrepreneur and writer
Bombino (* 1980), guitarist, singer and band leader
Kamilou Daouda (* 1987), football player
Abdoulaye Boukari Ousmane (* 1992), football player
Rabo Saminou (* 1986), football goalkeeper

literature

Aboubacar Adamou: Agadez et sa region. Contribution à l'étude du Sahel et du Sahara nigériens (= Études Nigériennes . No. 44). IFAN, Paris 1979.

Heinrich Barth : 1857–1858: Travels and discoveries in North and Central Africa in the years 1849–1855 . 5 volumes, Gotha 1855–1858 (Reprint Saarbrücken 2005: here: Vol. 1 ISBN 3-927688-24-X )

Julien Brachet: Trans-Saharan migrations. Vers un désert cosmopolite et morcelé (Niger) . Éditions du Croquant, Bellecombe-en-Bauges 2009, ISBN 978-2-914968-65-2 , Deuxième partie: Agadez ville ouverte (aux circulations) , p. 81–158 ( reseau-terra.eu [PDF]).

Dorothee Gruner: The clay mosque on the Niger. Documentation of a traditional building type . Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-515-05357-3 .

Ahmad Moctar: Caractérisation socio-économique de l'élevage péri urbain dans la Commune d'Agadez . Faculté d'Agronomie, Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey, Niamey 2005.

Mariratou Sani: Réhabilitation urbaine et sauvegarde du patrimoine architectural de la ville historique d'Agadez . Thesis. Ecole Africaine des Métiers de l'Architecture et de l'Urbanisme (EAMAU), Lomé 2004.

Gerd Spittler : Droughts, war and hunger crises among the Kel Ewey (1900–1985) . Franz Steiner, Stuttgart 1989 (monograph).

Karl Rolf Seufert : The caravan of white men. Freiburg 1961.

Michael Stührenberg: Agadez - The peace seeker in the desert . GEO 08 2017, pages 32–51.

Web links

Commons : Agadez - collection of images

Wiktionary: Agadez - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Website of the city of Agadez (French)
Former website of the city of Agadez ( Memento of September 1, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) (French)
Information and pictures about Agadez (French)

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c Répertoire National des Localités (ReNaLoc). Institut National de la Statistique, République du Niger, July 2014, accessed on 7 August 2015 (RAR, French).
↑ Edmond Séré de Rivières: Histoire du Niger . Berger-Levrault, Paris 1965, p. 70 .
↑ Dakar Retrospective 1979–2007. (PDF) Amaury Sport Organization, archived from the original on July 8, 2011 ; accessed on February 14, 2018 (English).
↑ http://www.lucop.org/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/historiquedecentralisation.pdf (dead link)
↑ http://www.cic.ne/IMG/xls/Inondations_2009.xls (dead link)
↑ Jan Puhl: The stranded of Agadez. In: Spiegel Online. May 2, 2011, accessed October 31, 2019 .
↑ Jens Borchers: The business with African migrants. In: Deutschlandfunk. January 23, 2016, accessed October 31, 2019 .
↑ ^a ^b Aboubacar Adamou: Entre l'Afrique au nord et au sud du Sahara. La ville d'Agadez entre et aujourd'hui here . In: Nadir Marouf (Ed.): Les identités régionales et la dialectique Sud-Sud en question . CODESRIA, Dakar 2007, ISBN 2-86978-195-4 , pp. 18 .
^ Répertoire National des Communes (RENACOM). Institut National de la Statistique, République du Niger, accessed November 8, 2010 (RAR, French).
↑ unesco.org Communication from the 37th Session of the World Heritage Committee, accessed on June 24, 2013
↑ Aboubacar Adamou, Agadez et sa région, p. 60 f. (see lit.)
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dorothee Gruner, Die Lehmmoschee am Niger , p. 364 ff. (See lit.)
↑ Dorothee Gruner, Die Lehmmoschee am Niger , p. 60 (see lit.)
^ Heinrich Barth, Reisen und Entdeckungen in Nord- und Central-Afrika in the years 1849–1855, Volume 1, p. 493 (see Lit.)
↑ Agadez Courthouse. Agadez, Niger. In: Archnet. Retrieved December 8, 2017 .
^ Saint Augustin Agadez. Eglise Catholique au Niger, accessed July 1, 2015 (French).
^ Daniel Mignot, Jean-Dominique Pénel: Le Niger dans la littérature française . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 25-27 .
^ Heinrich Barth, Reisen und Entdeckungen in Nord- und Central-Afrika in the years 1849–1855, Volume 1, pp. 351, 425 and 580 (see Lit.)
↑ Gerd Spittler , Dürren, Krieg und Hungerkrisen, p. 7 ff. (See lit.)
↑ Jochen Stahnke: Remote pain. The flight through the African states to Europe is one thing above all: a sophisticated business with which many earn money from the suffering of the refugees. A search for clues in Niger . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, May 29, 2015, p. 3.
↑ Airports in Niger . Aircraft Charter World website, accessed January 23, 2012.
↑ Niger - Agadez: La base aérienne 201 opérationnelle, des opérations de drones annoncées website Levenement Niger, accessed on November 13, 2019.
↑ Statistiques de l'éducation de base. Annuaire 2009–2010 (PDF; 19.1 MB). Nigerien Ministry of Education website, published September 2010, accessed February 14, 2012.
↑ Bachir Talfi: Note sur l'organization judiciaire. Ministère de la Justice, archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on February 14, 2018 (French).

[ReNaLoc-1] Répertoire National des Localités (ReNaLoc). Institut National de la Statistique, République du Niger, July 2014, accessed on 7 August 2015 (RAR, French).

[2] Edmond Séré de Rivières: Histoire du Niger . Berger-Levrault, Paris 1965, p. 70 .

[3] Dakar Retrospective 1979–2007. (PDF) Amaury Sport Organization, archived from the original on July 8, 2011 ; accessed on February 14, 2018 (English).

[4] ttp://www.lucop.org/uploads/tx_sbdownloader/historiquedecentralisation.pdf (dead link)

[5] ttp://www.cic.ne/IMG/xls/Inondations_2009.xls (dead link)

[6] Jan Puhl: The stranded of Agadez. In: Spiegel Online. May 2, 2011, accessed October 31, 2019 .

[7] Jens Borchers: The business with African migrants. In: Deutschlandfunk. January 23, 2016, accessed October 31, 2019 .

[Adamou_18-8] Aboubacar Adamou: Entre l'Afrique au nord et au sud du Sahara. La ville d'Agadez entre et aujourd'hui here . In: Nadir Marouf (Ed.): Les identités régionales et la dialectique Sud-Sud en question . CODESRIA, Dakar 2007, ISBN 2-86978-195-4 , pp. 18 .

[9] Répertoire National des Communes (RENACOM). Institut National de la Statistique, République du Niger, accessed November 8, 2010 (RAR, French).

[10] unesco.org Communication from the 37th Session of the World Heritage Committee, accessed on June 24, 2013

[11] Aboubacar Adamou, Agadez et sa région, p. 60 f. (see lit.)

[Gruner-12] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Dorothee Gruner, Die Lehmmoschee am Niger , p. 364 ff. (See lit.)

[13] Dorothee Gruner, Die Lehmmoschee am Niger , p. 60 (see lit.)

[14] Heinrich Barth, Reisen und Entdeckungen in Nord- und Central-Afrika in the years 1849–1855, Volume 1, p. 493 (see Lit.)

[15] Agadez Courthouse. Agadez, Niger. In: Archnet. Retrieved December 8, 2017 .

[16] Saint Augustin Agadez. Eglise Catholique au Niger, accessed July 1, 2015 (French).

[17] Daniel Mignot, Jean-Dominique Pénel: Le Niger dans la littérature française . In: Marie-Clotilde Jacquey (ed.): Littérature nigérienne (= Notre librairie . No. 107 ). CLEF, Paris 1991, p. 25-27 .

[18] Heinrich Barth, Reisen und Entdeckungen in Nord- und Central-Afrika in the years 1849–1855, Volume 1, pp. 351, 425 and 580 (see Lit.)

[Spittler-19] Gerd Spittler , Dürren, Krieg und Hungerkrisen, p. 7 ff. (See lit.)

[20] Jochen Stahnke: Remote pain. The flight through the African states to Europe is one thing above all: a sophisticated business with which many earn money from the suffering of the refugees. A search for clues in Niger . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, May 29, 2015, p. 3.

[21] Airports in Niger . Aircraft Charter World website, accessed January 23, 2012.

[22] Niger - Agadez: La base aérienne 201 opérationnelle, des opérations de drones annoncées website Levenement Niger, accessed on November 13, 2019.

[23] Statistiques de l'éducation de base. Annuaire 2009–2010 (PDF; 19.1 MB). Nigerien Ministry of Education website, published September 2010, accessed February 14, 2012.

[24] Bachir Talfi: Note sur l'organization judiciaire. Ministère de la Justice, archived from the original on September 27, 2013 ; accessed on February 14, 2018 (French).