Bilma

Bilma sits under an escarpment in the eastern Ténéré with a date palmery around it and salt workings beside the town where brine is run into clay pans, left to evaporate and the salt then cut and moulded into cones and slabs. The trade has run for a thousand years and the caravans still come for it. An old fort stands above the settlement and dunes press against the palms.

History

The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century. The town is known for salt and natron produced in evaporation ponds and as the destination of the Azalai, one of the last Saharan caravan routes, from Agadez, and in colonial times it was the site of Fort Dromard (Wikipedia, Bilma).

The main sights

• The salt pans - brine evaporated in clay basins and cut into cones.
• The palmery - dates grown around the oasis under the escarpment.
• The fort - the old building standing above the town.
• The dunes - sand pressing directly against the palm gardens.

When to go

November to February is the cool season and the caravan period. Summer heat is extreme. Salt working continues year round.

Things to know

Reaching Bilma is a multi-day desert crossing needing a guide, convoy and permits arranged well in advance. Facilities are minimal. Photography of the salt workers should be asked for rather than assumed.

Nearby

Fachi is west, and the Tree of Ténéré site is further west.

Key facts