[Niger] Historic Centre of Agadez, Location Stamp
M Daniels
I would like to request a location stamp for the French speaking West African country Niger. Niger is the second largest land locked country in West Africa with a population of nearly 24 million people. Surprisingly, over 80% of its land consists of the Sahara Desert!
Located at the southern edge of the Saharan Desert in Niger, is the Historic Centre of Agadez, known as the gateway to the desert. It is known as such because the City of Agadez was strategically located along the crossroads of the trans- Saharan trade route in the 15th century.
More than 5 centuries later, one can still see remnants from that period. In fact, the very street pattern that was in place centuries ago is still currently being used! Today, there are numerous religious buildings and dwellings still standing, which are inhabited by about 20,000 people.
The most notable building in the Historic Centre is the Mosque of Agadez. The Mosque is a prime example of great earthen architecture, as it is a 27 meter high tower made completely of mud brick- which is the highest structure of its kind in the world! The Historic Centre of Agadez is recognized by UNESCO and was declared a World Heritage Site in 2013.
Let's help make the Historic Centre of Agadez and Niger recognized by Slowly too with its first location stamp!
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Yann2
Some complimentary info and photos
This morning I took some time to go and read more about Niger on Wikipedia, and from there other links for additional info, etc. I came across valuable information which helps me better understand the country and the region, landscape, climate, etc which really shapes the way things are.
...some historical background :
"The Agadez Mosque, better known as Grande Mosquée d’Agadez, is a prominent religious center that is located in the central area of the largest city from the central part of the Republic of the Niger, Agadez. As it was originally built in 1515 during the era of the Songhai Empire, this central landmark of the city has been the gathering place for prayers for centuries.
As it has some resemblance to the construction techniques which are used in the structures around Timbuktu, the Tuaregs who built it, went there in order to learn and develop even better the architectural techniques. By using simply local available material, such as: mud, straw and pebbles which were dried in the sun, the builders simply created something which was definitely supposed to last for a very long time.
This central shrine in Agadez with the slightly crooked forms of the structure, is accompanied by a minaret which is some 27 meters (89 feet) tall, making it the tallest ever constructed in mud brick, and as a lighthouse in the center serves as a compass for the people to get around the city, which at one point of time throughout its history, served as a watchtower.
Restored and partially rebuilt in 1844, this dominating structure in Agadez is a beacon of the long running history of the city that has survived the harsh desert environment, and shall continue to invite visitors in order to be mesmerized by the beauty it shines on the strong sun."
Quoted here in full as I think it's quite informative.
Other photos of Agadez on Flickr
I also came across photos by Dan Lundberg, hosted on Flickr, which show more of the city of Agadez. Particularly the city view from the top of the Mosque tower, showing the city and the style of construction, landscape.
Niger is a very poor country, in a difficult location, mostly desert terrain. I am grateful that our interest in these stamp ideas allows us to learn and better comprehend their realities and difficulties.
Thanks for the post, M Daniels!
It relates and complements well the one we proposed here for Timbuktu, which is better known and outstanding as well.
Yann2
I just found a video which shows more photos, including some internal ones. There are timbers supporting the floors in one of them, and there's all the ones sticking out of the tower - used as scaffolding for the periodic needed repair of weather damage to the structure, same as in Timbuktu.
Historic Centre of Agadez
And revisiting the UNESCO page, I found some lovely photos showing various buildings in Agadez, attaching here as well for reference.
The last one shows the ingenious use of the timbers which stick out of the buildings as scaffolding for the periodic maintenance needed to repair weather damage.
Yann2
Well done, M Daniels! Thank you for this, covering another country which still did not have any location stamp. Cheers! 🙂👍🍀