Agadez

Agadez is a market town in central Niger, the main settlement of Tchirozérine Department, sitting at the southern edge of the Aïr massif at 520 meters elevation. The mud-brick buildings spread around the center where the tall minaret rises above rooftops and dusty lanes.

The town emerged in medieval times as a crossroads for trans-Saharan trade routes and became an important center for salt caravans in the 15th century. The colonial period brought uprisings and sieges that reshaped life for Tuareg nomads and oasis farmers.

The name derives from Berber origins and reflects the old role as a meeting point for traders and herders. Today caravans and motorcycles weave between mud-brick houses while women dye leather and hammer silver in the shade of interior courtyards.

An airport links the town with other regions though travel into the northern territory requires special preparation. The markets open in the morning and offer vegetables, grains, and craft items that vary with the harvest season.

Uranium is extracted nearby and since 1976 a mining school trains specialists for the operations. Caravans rarely bring salt anymore but carry goods from Libya and Algeria that sit at the market next to goat hides.