Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 2: Under the Orders and at the Expense of Her Majesty's GovernmentRichardson, James
History
Narrative of a Mission to Central Africa Performed in the Years 1850-51, Volume 2: Under the Orders and at the Expense of Her Majesty's Government
Richardson, James
Africa, Central -- Description and travel; Africa, North -- Description and travel; Richardson, James, 1806-1851
We have been making inquiries of the Tanelkums about the population of
Ghât and its deserts. The Tanelkums say, that ten or twelve years ago
Khanouhen brought up about ten thousand maharees against the then
masters of Mourzuk, the Walad Suleiman, headed by Abd-el-Galeel. The ten
thousand maharees were the whole force and strength of the Azgher,
Khanouhen having called out every male; for every man of the Azgher is a
warrior. The Arabs, seeing the number of the Tuaricks, deemed it
expedient to make peace. From this circumstance, it would be supposed
that the Azgher may number from five to ten thousand families, nearly
all located west of the Soudan route, along the lines of the Ghadamez
and Tuat routes; where, it is said, there are fertile valleys, in which
dates and corn are cultivated. But at Ghât I could never learn anything
of these wadys. During my last visit I had no time, and the people there
had no inclination to give me information about this fertile portion of
the Azgher desert. On the former occasion, I learned from Haj Ahmed that
there was a running stream, on the banks of which corn was cultivated,
at about four days west of Ghât. This is probably the locality of Janet.
For myself, I do not believe the Azgher Tuaricks number more than two
thousand families.
Of the population of Aheer I have been able to learn nothing definite;
that is to say, nothing which I can absolutely depend upon. Some make it
reach above fifty thousand souls. There are, however, only forty towns,
exclusive of Aghadez; and about twenty places where people live in
tents. I wrote down a second list of them, with their directions, and
some guess at the number of male inhabitants. The son of the Tanelkum
Sheikh considers the Kailouee warriors to amount to about fourteen
thousand; which, indeed, will make the whole population above sixty
thousand. The accounts I have received, therefore, seem to be
sufficiently exact for general purposes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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