Ahaggar

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

Read Next

Are the Middle East and the Near East the Same Thing?

Olduvai Gorge or Olduwai Gorge, Tanzania, Africa (eastern Serengeti Plain) Where fossil remains of more than 60 hominins provides the most continuous known record of human evolution. Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey made discoveries here. Archaeology

7 Amazing Historical Sites in Africa

8 Amazing Physical Features of Africa

Bear Hat Mountain above Hidden Lake on a crest of the Continental Divide in Glacier National Park, Montana

Exploring 7 of Earth’s Great Mountain Ranges

Discover

Flags That Look Alike

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519), Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Engraving by Cosomo Colombini (d. 1812) after a Leonardo self portrait. Ca. 1500.

10 Famous Artworks by Leonardo da Vinci

Why Do We Eat Turkey on Thanksgiving?

Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that

America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Woman tied to a ducking stool, a method of punishment by means of humiliation, beating, or death. (cucking stool)

8 Unusual Punishments Inflicted on Women Throughout History

Ahaggar

plateau, Africa

Also known as: Hoggar

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Also spelled:: Hoggar

See all related content

Ahaggar, large plateau in the north center of the Sahara, on the Tropic of Cancer, North Africa. Its height is above 3,000 feet (900 meters), culminating in Mount Tahat (9,573 feet [2,918 meters]) in southeastern Algeria. The plateau, about 965 miles (1,550 km) north to south and 1,300 miles (2,100 km) east to west, is rocky desert composed of black volcanic (basalt) necks and of flows rising above a pink granite massif. The main caravan route to Kano in northern Nigeria passes along the plateau’s western margin through the important oasis town of Tamanrasset, Algeria, which is about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) south of Algiers. Natural-gas deposits have been found northwest of the plateau.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.