Bilma
Oasis town and salt-production center in the Ténéré desert.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in north east Niger. It lies protected from the desert dunes under the Kaouar Cliffs and is the largest town along the Kaouar escarpment. Bilma is known for its gardens, for salt and natron production through evaporation ponds, date cultivation, and as the destination of one of the last Saharan caravan routes, the Azalai from Agadez.
- location
- North east Niger, under the Kaouar Cliffs
- climate
- Hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), average annual precipitation 12.7 mm
- known_for
- Salt and natron production, date cultivation, Azalai caravan route terminus
Lore & Background
Bilma's population is mostly Kanuri, with smaller Toubou, Tuareg, and Hausa populations, the last being a reminder of its role as a key stop in the Trans Saharan trade. The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century. During French Colonial rule, Bilma was the site of a major military post at Fort Dromard. After independence, the isolation of Bilma made it the destination for disgraced officials under the authoritarian regime of Seyni Kountché, and a prison was built there by the government. Political leaders were held there in the 1980s, such as Sanoussi Tambari Djakou, today president of the PNA-AL, a Nigerien political party.
Reader's Guide
The town lies deep in the heart of the Sahara Desert, more precisely in the Ténéré, a hyper-arid desert region. It is extremely dry, averaging only 12.7 mm of measurable precipitation annually. Bilma is hot during the winter months and extremely hot during the summer months; average high temperatures in winter surpass 27 °C, and exceed 40 °C from April to September, peaking at 44 °C in June. The sunshine duration is extremely high year-round with some 4,000 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Did You Know?
- The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century.
- Bilma is the destination of the Azalai, one of the last Saharan caravan routes, from Agadez.
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