Photos of the beautiful Erg Chebbi Sahara desert wilderness by Paul E Williams
Erg Chebbi Sahara Sand Dunes at Sunrise
Photos of the beautiful sandy desert wildness park of the Erg Chebbi Sahara dunes belt with camels & a Defender, Merzouga Morocco. Photos by Paul E Williams.
The sand dunes of Erg Chebbi cover an area about 20 kilometres long and 5 kilometres wide. The highest dune is Lala Merzouga at 152 metres (500 ft) high.
Erg Chebbi is on the edge of the Northern Sahara on the border between Morocco and Algeria. To the North are the Atlas mountains. In spring the snows melt on the mountains and the melt water flows into the desert forming lakes. The water percolates through the sand to the bedrock forming underground reserves of water.
Water collects under and along the edge of the Erg Chebbi sand dunes so wells could be dug and people could settled here. Today the biggest town is Merzouga. It used to be the starting point for cross Sahara traders who took camel trains to Timbuktu, and returned with luxury goods to sell in the markets of Marakesh.
When I visited I was able to stay out on the dunes in my Defender to photograph the sunrise, as well the camels as they were rounded up for tourist rides into the dunes. A wonderful experience.
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