Saharan Oases Research Articles

The Mouth of the Jebel Bani Mountains: Traditional Water Management at the Edge of the Sahara

ABSTRACT Along the southern Morocco-Algeria border runs the Jebel Bani mountain range, a feature that marks the edge of the Anti-Atlas mountain region and the beginning of the Sahara Desert. The area receives little annual rainfall and has almost no surface water. Despite the dry environment, there is a string of agricultural oases that use ancient underground technology to access groundwater. The khettara system (qanat) has allowed for life in this arid landscape for centuries but is currently facing rapid abandonment, and the oases are subsequently struggling to survive. This project, a community-based archaeological survey of the khettara oases along the Jebel Bani, demonstrates how modern irrigation practices are undermining the resilience and sustainability of Saharan oases and emphasizes the importance of traditional water management practices. This project provides a new avenue for understanding the diffusion, use, and abandonment of the khettara oasis systems and other traditional water management systems worldwide.

Telecoupled urban demand from West African cities causes social-ecological land use transformation in Saharan oases.

Little is known about the long-distance telecoupling effects of urban food demands on land use changes (LUCs) in remote oases of the Southern Sahara. Using the example of two typical oasis settlements on Mont Bagzam in the southern Aϊr Mountains of Niger which are linked to regional and global markets by an unpaved road since 2015, this study aimed at analyzing time trajectories of LUCs and related changing agricultural production patterns. LUCs were quantified for 1955 to 2022 using GIS-based mapping of agriculture and natural vegetation based on historical aerial photographs, CORONA and multi-spectral satellite images, and high resolution drone-based surveys. The results show a major increment in actively used agricultural land in the 850 ha watershed of the two oases from 11 ha in 1955 to 13 ha in 2003 and 68 ha in 2022 as well as the addition of 92 irrigation wells to 16 existing ones between 2003 and 2022. LUCs and evapotranspiration calculated from climatic data of a local weather station allowed to estimate changes of irrigation water needs in the selected watershed. While annual precipitation averages only 214 mm, local reference evapotranspiration may reach 1,476 mm year-1. Therefore, the additional annual irrigation water needs for the newly established fields between 2003 and 2022 cultivated to cash crops rose by 696 million l. To detect LUC effects on soil quality, soil samples of onion and garlic fields of different ages were collected employing a false-time-series approach. Results reveal increasing soil pH and salt concentrations and falling ground water tables, which reflects a negative water balance and ground water extraction above recharge levels. Our study provides evidence that the newly established telecoupled production systems on Mont Bagzam threaten the sustainability of existing local agricultural production and related livelihoods of agro-pastoralists.

Assessment of groundwater quality and suitability with emphasis on the human health risk in North African Saharan oases: a case study from the Tozeur region, southern Tunisia

Assessment of groundwater quality and suitability with emphasis on the human health risk in North African Saharan oases: a case study from the Tozeur region, southern Tunisia

Impact of subsurface drainage system on waterlogged and saline soils in a Saharan palm grove

Salinity and waterlogging associated with saline and shallow groundwater are major problems for the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in many Saharan oases located in southern Tunisia. The aim of this paper is to assess the performance of a subsurface drainage system installed in the modern Sagdoud oasis to control the perched water table depth and reclaim the saline waterlogged soils. Water and salt balances at the oasis scale and daily basis were evaluated during the hydrologic year 1995. Moreover, the water table depth, the mineralisation in the perched groundwater and the bare soil salinity were measured at 40 parcels of farmland in November 1993, October 1998 and June 2021. The results showed that the total depth of irrigation water was three times the potential evapotranspiration depth in 1995. Evaporation process and subsurface drainage system allowed the discharge of 81% and 42%, respectively, of the total volume of irrigation water. From a salt input of 4,865 tons/year by irrigation, 4,566 tons/year (94%) were exported by subsurface drainage system and about 300 tons/year were estimated to have been stored in the soil and perched groundwater. The spatial distributions of the perched groundwater depth and mineralisation, and bare soil salinity were influenced mainly by the topography. The mean water table depth increased by 87%, while the mean salinity of perched groundwater increased by 19% during November 1993-October 1998. The mean bare soil salinity in the 20–40, 40–60 and 80–100 cm depths decreased by 75%, 50% and 42%, respectively, during October 1998-June 2021. Overall, the study revealed that the subsurface drainage system allowed the control of the water and salt balances at the oasis scale, the decrease in the perched water table levels and the reclamation of saline soils. However, the provision of this system does not permit the control of the groundwater mineralisation.

Adaptation assessment of drought tolerance in maize populations from the Sahara in both shores of the Mediterranean Sea

Drought is the main stress for agriculture, and maize (Zea mays L.) germplasm from the Sahara has been identified as potential source of drought tolerance; however, information about adaptation of semitropical maize germplasm from the Sahara to temperate areas has not been reported. Our objective was assessing the adaptation of maize germplasm from Saharan oases as sources of drought tolerance for improving yield and biomass production under drought conditions in temperate environments. A collection of maize populations from Saharan oases was evaluated under drought and control conditions in Spain and Algeria. Algerian populations were significantly different under drought for most traits, and the significant genotype × environment interactions indicated that drought tolerance is genotype-dependent, but tolerance differences among genotypes change across environments. Based on yield, the Algerian maize populations PI527474, PI527478, PI527472, PI527467, PI527470, and PI527473 would be appropriate sources of drought tolerance for temperate environments. Concerning biomass production, the most interesting populations were PI527467, PI542685, PI527478, and PI527472. These Saharan populations could provide favorable alleles for drought tolerance for temperate breeding programs, and could also be used for studying mechanisms and genetic regulation of drought tolerance.

Oasis wheats of the South of Algeria: landraces, cultural practices and utilization

Wheat populations cultivated in the Saharan oases have been considered as potential parental germplasm for the improvement of drought, heat and salt tolerance. However, risks of genetic erosion have been reported, related to the degradation of the oases cropping systems and the introduction of modern wheat varieties. A better description and characterization of the Saharan wheat landraces is therefore required to make more effective their utilization in breeding. The present study was conducted among fourteen oases distributed in three locations of South Algeria (Adrar, Tamanrasset and Tindouf). In total, 187 samples of wheat landraces were collected from farmers’ fields and a survey was carried out to better understand the agronomic practices applied to the crop. Three durum and 38 bread wheat landraces were identified. Most of them appeared to be specific to locations or oases. Forms that differed on spike or grain characteristics were described, and botanical varieties were identified within most landraces. The survey revealed that farmers choose the landraces to be grown according to their ability to face the specific constraints affecting their cultivation in the different oases and the characteristics of their grain end-use. This observation is likely to explain the maintenance of traditional landraces in the oases, despite the different factors threatening these cropping systems. The importance of documenting and collecting the wheat landraces grown in the Saharan oases, evaluating them for their tolerance to abiotic factors and using them in improvement programs, is emphasized.

Water supply system and datepalm cropping in the Saharan oases

Water supply system and datepalm cropping in the Saharan oases

Algerian maize populations from the Sahara desert as potential sources of drought tolerance

Drought affects maize (Zea mays L.) performance from seedling to grain filling. Sources of drought tolerance at multi-scale growth are crucial for maize breeders. The objectives of this work were to identify new sources and mechanisms of drought tolerance and to study the traits controlling plant growth under drought and their associations with yield. We evaluated a collection of 18 maize populations from the Algerian Saharan oases under simulated drought conditions using Polyethylene glycol 6000, and in the field. The genotype × treatment interactions were more significant under field than under control conditions. Under field conditions, based on general agronomic performance, PI527476, PI542678 and PI527474 were the most drought-tolerant populations. PI527476 was the most tolerant population for germination-related traits, PI542678 exhibited high final germination, high number of secondary roots and positive water use efficiency (WUE), while PI527474 presented high number of secondary roots number and WUE. PI542685 was drought tolerant at seedling stage, characterized by high germination, long roots, heavy root, high number of secondary roots, and stable shoot/root weight ratio. Germination, shoot/root weight, root dry weight at seedling stage, and dry weight of secondary roots were the most significant seedling growth-related traits affecting WUE and yield under drought. Differences were detected among populations under stress conditions at multi-scale growth phases with some common genetic dependency of yield on seedling-related traits. Therefore, these Saharan populations could provide favorable alleles for drought tolerance for breeding programs, and the use of seedling-related traits, especially root performance, as secondary yield-related traits could lead to increased gain yield selection under drought conditions.

Preservación y gestión de asentamientos en el desierto: Consideraciones generales y técnicas

<p>Todos los oasis saharianos sufren un grave abandono debido a cuestiones económicas, sociales y políticas. Este abandono es también la causa principal de su degradación, lo que, a su vez, afecta tanto a los recursos económicos primarios como al palmeral y al entorno construido. Este último también lucha contra un sentimiento común de rechazo, como resultado de la creencia de que la vivienda tradicional es incómoda, sucia, no duradera e insalubre. Existe un proyecto de restauración dirigido por la Universidad de Cagliari en Figuig (Marruecos) encaminado a reflexionar sobre una nueva actitud en las intervenciones de conservación, que muestra que las acciones dirigidas a la reutilización de edificios, tradiciones constructivas y materiales tradicionales pueden llevar a una victoria para todas las partes, donde la memoria unida al hábitat, la identidad local y la microeconomía local adquieran un significado renovado y sustancial.</p>

Surface irrigation performance of date palms under water scarcity in arid irrigated lands

In this paper, a study on the performance of surface irrigation of date palms in a Tunisian arid area (Douz oasis) is presented. The study is conducted in 16 plots with various sizes and soil textures over a 4-year period (2012–2015). In the first step, an assessment of total water requirements of the date palms is carried out. Then, the surface irrigation performance is analyzed using three indicators, i.e., the relative water supply (RWS) indicator, the uniformity index of water distribution (D U ), and the water application efficiency (E a ). Finally, the irrigation management problems are identified. The results indicate that in the arid Tunisian Saharan oases, the soil texture, plot size, and farmers’ practices (especially irrigation duration) have significant effects on surface irrigation performance. The average annual net irrigation requirements of date palms are about 2400 mm. The RWS increases from 1.8 in the smaller plots (0.5 ha) to 3.6 in the largest plots (2.5 ha), implying that the increase in the plot size requires an excessive water supply. D U decreases from 80.7 in the 0.5 ha plots to 65.4 in the 2.5 ha plots; however, no significant difference in the E a is observed. The results show that the soil texture has no influence on the RWS and D U , but the E a is significantly higher in the loamy-sand soils (46.7%) compared to the sandy soils (36.3%). Overall, RWS indicator is higher than 1 (RWS = 2.6) implying excessive irrigation supply to the system. Although D U is relatively uniform (> 60%), E a is relatively low (< 50%) indicating that the current irrigation management is inefficient. These findings have a paramount importance for improving irrigation water management in the Tunisian Saharan oases.

Mitochondrial DNA and morphological analysis of hedgehogs (Eulipotyphla: Erinaceidae) in Algeria

Algeria is the largest country in Africa and contains a rich and understudied faunal biodiversity. Two species of hedgehogs occur in the country: the North African hedgehog Atelerix algirus and the desert hedgehog Paraechinus aethiopicus. We investigated the genetic and phenotypic variation of the two species in Algeria using mitochondrial DNA and external morphological characters. The mitochondrial phylogenetic analysis identified two major clades corresponding to the two species, whereas no phylogenetic structure was observed within either species. However, analysis of the morphological data indicated the presence of two morphotypes within A. algirus. The more common and widespread morphotype agrees well with the standard description of A. algirus, while the other recognized morphotype was found almost exclusively in the Mediterranean coastal belt and is distinguishable by a combination of morphological characters. A most remarkable finding was the detection of A. algirus individuals, with taxonomic identity confirmed by both molecular and morphological data, at extralimital localities in oases deep in the Sahara. Two of these records in central Algeria extend the distribution of the species approximately 500 Km to the south. Further sampling in the Saharan oases is needed to map more precisely the new geographic distribution of A. algirus in Algeria.

Influence of date fruit biochemical characteristics on damage rates caused by the carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae) in Saharan oases of Algeria

The carob moth (Ectomyelois ceratoniae) is the most formidable pest of date fruits and the main constraint in palm groves of the region of Ouargla (Sahara Desert of Algeria) for date exportation. In order to explain food preferences of the insect pest, this study aims to relate the variation of date infestation rates caused by the carob moth to biochemical characteristics of fruits of 20 date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) cultivars. Biochemical analyses were performed on fruits of twenty cultivars sampled in seven palm groves of the region of Ouargla. Infestation levels caused by the carob moth were assessed at three phenological stages of fruit ripeness within each cultivar. Date infestation rates significantly varied among study cultivars, fruit maturity stages and their interaction. The cultivar Takermoust was the most infested (43%), whereas Bent Khbala and Tati Wtnuh recorded the lowest infestation rates. Tati Wtnuh, Bayd Hmam and Tamsrit are cultivars that produce soft dates. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that food preferences of the carob moth are related with soft and semisoft dates (not based on moisture content, but on the ratio total-sugars/water content), slightly acidic to neutral pH, with high sucrose levels, and low values of total and reducing sugars.

Ethnoecology of pollination and pollinators

This paper brings together three case studies on the interrelationships amongst people, pollination processes and pollinators (notably honeybees). In the palm groves of Saharan oases, the milieu and varieties of palm trees are created by horticulturalists, who fulfil themselves the role of pollinators. In southern Morocco, entire landscapes, including in particular the agroforests of argan trees, are the products of a remarkable symbiosis between bees and people. In Indonesia, honey harvesters have an exacting local knowledge of the giant honeybees and the timing and nature of blooms. They use this knowledge to attract migratory swarms and to decide the optimal moment to harvest honey so that the bees are incited to return. The authors, specialists in social system/ecosystem interactions, decided to pool their expertise so as to render more accessible their research results, which are often dispersed amongst journals specialized in different cultural areas. By focusing their analyses instead on an important biological phenomenon threatened by human action (in this case, pollination), they hope that their audience will also include biologists, policy makers and environmental managers. Given the growing diversity and complexity of threats facing biodiversity, the responses proposed by conservation biology alone are often inadequate. To understand the dynamics of anthropo-ecosystems, the outcomes of a long co-evolutionary process involving a wide range of living beings, an interdisciplinary approach is mandatory. Conservation and sustainable use cannot be achieved without an understanding of local people's knowledge and practices, a prerequisite for establishing in partnership with them, protection measures that are both respectful and locally adapted.

Desert wisdom and agriculture Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier Land Lessons from Desert Farmers on Adapting to Climate Uncertainty Gary Paul Nabhan Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. 268 pp.

![Figure][1] A miller's daughter spun gold thread from hay. Stone soup fed an entire town. A farmer grew tons of juicy melons in one of the harshest desert climates in the Americas. In each story, something is created from nothing. Of the three, only the story of the Chihuahuan melon farmer is neither fairy tale nor parable. Centuries-old technology known as olla irrigation breathes life into acres of melon vines, enabling them to thrive in an otherwise inhospitable environment. The paltry 9 inches of annual rainfall is harnessed to support a robust agricultural business. Judicious water use and resource conservation are the main tenets of desert farming worldwide, transforming arid scrubland and desert margins into flourishing and resilient farmsteads. ![Figure][1] Olla irrigation. PHOTO: NMSU AGRICULTURAL COMMUNICATIONS/PHOTO BY J. VICTOR ESPINOZA Gary Nabhan is a conservation scientist, ecologist, and farmer; he is intimately familiar with the challenges faced by traditional desert agricultural communities. He visits with farmers in Saharan oases and the margins of the Gobi Desert, as well as other desert regions, learning the techniques and adaptations that have sustained life in extreme environments for thousands of years. A full third of the land on our planet is desert or semi-desert, receiving on average less than 20 inches of rainfall per year ([ 1 ][2]). Over the tens of thousands of years of human migration and agricultural evolution, societies have found elegant and simple solutions to living in water-compromised environments. These solutions are increasingly relevant as countries experience progressively hotter average temperatures and face dwindling water resources. Dramatic changes are already being witnessed by ecologists and experienced by farmers. Pests such as bark beetles have been able to spread without a cold-weather check, damaging and killing thousands of trees in U.S. and European forests. Severe drought conditions in the United States this year have left 385,000 acres of farmland fallow in California alone ([ 2 ][3]). Desert vegetation has adapted to its environment over millennia. Each native species contains a wealth of evolutionarily derived resiliencies in form and function. Scientists and traditional farmers have drawn on these botanical success stories to shape physical farmland, advance water harvesting, and create hardy agricultural ecosystems. Biomimicry of living desert systems in particular has been a noted success, especially the use of nurse trees to create microenvironments in which crops can blossom. Each chapter contains a Planning and Practice section with practical step-by-step advice on how to create desert-adapted and ecoconscious garden and agricultural landscapes. Lessons range from reducing summer heat loads on houses to creating effective rain irrigation, inspired by traditional farming on the floodplains of the Sonoran Desert. These solutions are both ingenious and effective, drawing on our global heritage to solve today's problems as well as prepare for those of the future. By learning from agricultural desert experiences, farmers, scientists, and ecologically conscious citizens will be prepared for the challenges created by future climate change. 1. [↵][4] [www.idrc.ca/EN/Documents/CARIAA\_COP18\_Policy_Semi-arid.pdf][5]. 2. [↵][6] [www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-usa-drought-california-idUSBREA141VS20140205][7]. [1]: pending:yes [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #ref-2 [4]: #xref-ref-1-1 View reference 1 in text [5]: http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Documents/CARIAA_COP18_Policy_Semi-arid.pdf [6]: #xref-ref-2-1 View reference 2 in text [7]: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/05/us-usa-drought-california-idUSBREA141VS20140205

Saharan wheats: before they disappear

Wheat landraces cultivated in the Saharan oases have been submitted during centuries to drought, heat and salinity and are expected to have developed tolerance to these constraints. The different forms present in the oases of Libya, Algeria and Morocco have been collected and described by several authors who highlighted the peculiarity and diversity of this germplasm, on the basis of spike and grain morphology. The origin, date and way of introduction of wheat in the Saharan oases are however largely unknown. Most landraces may have been introduced from Egypt, possibly during wet climatic episodes. Spike morphological traits of some landraces suggest an Asiatic origin (Iran, Turkestan and Afghanistan). More recent introductions have also probably occurred. This lack of information as well as the potential interest of this germplasm for wheat improvement would merit further studies. Marker-based diversity analysis of Saharan wheats and comparison with North-African and Asian wheats might permit to precise their classification and confirm their origin. Evaluation for tolerance to abiotic constraints would allow a better understanding of their adaptation to the oases environments and identification of potential progenitors to be used by wheat breeders. Such studies are urgent considering the quick genetic erosion of this germplasm due to drastic ecological and socio-economic changes affecting Saharan oases and their cropping systems.

Seasonal monitoring of soil salinity by electromagnetic conductivity in irrigated sandy soils from a Saharan oasis

Monitoring soil salinity over time is a crucial issue in Saharan oases to anticipate salinisation related to insufficient irrigation management. This project tested the ability of electromagnetic conductivity surveys to describe, by means of regression-tree inference models, spatiotemporal changes in soil salinity at different depths within a complex 10-ha pattern of irrigated plots in an Algerian oasis. Soils were sandy Aridic Salic Solonchaks with a fluctuating saline watertable at less than 2 m. Apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) was measured by an EM38 device at fixed 10- or 20-m intervals (2889 points) at four sampling dates between March 2009 and November 2010. For calibration and validation purposes, soil salinity was measured from a 1 : 5 diluted extract (EC1:5) in three layers (0–10, 10–25, 25–50 cm) at 30 of these points randomly chosen at each date. ECa measurements were used to predict EC1:5 using calibration regression trees created with the software Cubist, including either parameters specific to the study site (specific model) or more general parameters (general model), allowing extrapolation to other sites. Performance of regression tree predictions was compared with predictions derived from a multiple linear regression (MLR) model adjusted for each date using the software ESAP. Salinity was better predicted by Cubist regression tree models than MLR models. For the deep layer (25–50 cm), Cubist models were more accurate with the specific model (r2 = 0.8, RMSE = 1.6 dS/m) than the general model (r2 = 0.4, RMSE = 2.5 dS/m). Prediction accuracy of both models decreased from the bottom to the top of the soil profile. Salinity maps showed high inter-plot variability, which was captured better by the more flexible regression-tree inference models than the classic MLR models, but they need to build site-specific prediction models. Overall, the monitoring surveys, combined with the Cubist prediction tool, revealed both the seasonal dynamics and spatial variability of salinity at different depths.

The first towns in the central Sahara

At first sight Saharan oases appear unlikely locations for the development of early urban communities. Recent survey work has, however, discovered evidence for complex settlements of the late first millennium BC and early first millennium AD, surrounded and supported by intensive agricultural zones. These settlements, despite their relatively modest size, satisfy the criteria to be considered as towns. The argument presented here not only presents the evidence for their urban status but also argues that it was not agriculture but trade that conjured them into existence. Without the development of trans-Saharan trade, these complex oasis communities would have been unsustainable, and their subsequent economic fortunes were directly linked to the fluctuating scale and direction of that trade.

Environmental margin and island evolution in Middle Eastern populations of the Egyptian fruit bat

Here, we present a study of the population genetic architecture and microevolution of the Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus) at the environmental margins in the Middle East using mitochondrial sequences and nuclear microsatellites. In contrast to the rather homogenous population structure typical of cave-dwelling bats in climax tropical ecosystems, a relatively pronounced isolation by distance and population diversification was observed. The evolution of this pattern could be ascribed to the complicated demographic history at higher latitudes related to the range margin fragmentation and complex geomorphology of the studied area. Lineages from East Africa and Arabia show divergent positions. Within the northwestern unit, the most marked pattern of the microsatellite data set is connected with insularity, as demonstrated by the separate status of populations from Saharan oases and Cyprus. These demes also exhibit a reduction in genetic variability, which is presumably connected with founder effects, drift and other potential factors related to island evolution as site-specific selection. Genetic clustering indicates a semipermeability of the desert barriers in the Sahara and Arabian Peninsula and a corridor role of the Nile Valley. The results emphasize the role of the island environment in restricting the gene flow in megabats, which is also corroborated by biogeographic patterns within the family, and suggests the possibility of nascent island speciation on Cyprus. Demographic analyses suggest that the colonization of the region was connected to the spread of agricultural plants; therefore, the peripatric processes described above might be because of or strengthened by anthropogenic changes in the environment.

An avifaunal survey of mesic manmade ecosystems “Oases” in algerian hot-hyperarid lands

Man made ecosystems of dry lands are key habitats due to their ecological characteristics to survey biodiversity. This study investigated bird diversity in three oases of the Northern Algerian Sahara (i.e., Biskra in 2006, Oued Souf in 2008 and Ouargla in 2009), by using the spot-mapping method. Bird density “D” (pairs/10ha), species richness “S” (number species), diversity (Shannon index) “H′” (in bits), and evenness “E” varied from one oasis to another (Biskra: D=98.5, S=47, H′=4.49, E=0.81; Oued Souf: D=96, S=33, H′=3.9, E=0.77; Ouargla: D=91.5, S=44, H′=4.39, E=0.80). Differences in bird diversity between the monitored palm groves are due to the ecological characteristics of each environment. Documented literature outlined close taxonomic similarities between bird assemblages of the study area with many Northern Saharan oases. The Hybrid Sparrow Passer domesticus x Passer. hispaniolensis and some Columbidae species including Columba livia, Streptopelia turtur, Streptopelia senegalensis, and Streptopelia decaocto were the abundant species throughout surveyed oases in which they represented more than half (55.6%) of the sum of species densities (D=286 pairs/10ha). These synthropic species have known a huge expansion of their distribution range throughout Algerian oases. The correspondence analysis allowed the aggregation of both families and species into oasis they belong to. One-way ANOVA was tested to analyse variations of both family and species densities between studied oases. The ANOVA revealed there was no significant variation either in family densities (p=0.937) or in bird densities (p=0.622) between the surveyed oases because of the small size of bird populations.

Saharan Jewry: history, memory and imagined identity

Scholars of North African Jewries have recently begun to study, rethink and challenge some of the field's terminology and conceptualisations of the Maghribi Jewish experience, including, for example, terms such as ‘Berber Jews’, ‘Arab Jews’ and even the most deeply entrenched ‘Sephardic Jews’. Such categories of analysis remain largely unexamined, despite the fact that they constitute an essential part of larger colonial and post-colonial discourses on the Islamic world and its diverse populations. In this article, I focus on one such category, ‘Saharan Jews’, and attempt to assess its meanings and articulations within the history and imagined identities of the Sahara. Using source materials including the reports of European colonial travellers, the communications of Mardochée Aby Serour to the Société de Geographie de Paris in 1870, French ethnological sources, local Arabic sources, select post-colonial writings, and blogosphere material, I debate the meaning of ‘Saharan Jews’, moving us from Sijilmasa to Timbuktu by way of the Saharan oases Tuat, Akka and other areas of Jewish settlement in the region. In these contexts, I pay particular attention to the construction of group identity through mechanisms like trade, minority–majority relations and local religious practices. As I evaluate the concept of ‘Saharan Jews’ for better understanding Jewish history in North and sub-Saharan Africa, I simultaneously call for a more nuanced approach to the social imagination of Jewish identities in post-colonial African societies.