Our modern civilisation’s fascination with the Sahara, the world’s largest expanse of sand and rock, dates back to the 19th century, but the desert has been inhabited and lived in since ancient times, from the emergence of the first major monotheistic religions and even earlier, in prehistoric times, when this boundless arid land was a green savannah criss-crossed by rivers and dotted with lakes.
Travelling through the Sahara – across the boundless expanses of the Ennedi and Tibesti in Chad, amongst the mineral wonders of Algeria, in the legendary oases of Chinguetti and Ouadane in Mauritania, or through the colourful mountains of Morocco – is not merely about admiring extraordinary landscapes. It is a profound, inner experience that everyone should have at least once in their lifetime.
