Crossed by the Tropic of Cancer 80 km north of Tamanrasset, the Hoggar (of Tamachek Ahaggar) covers an area of approximately 540,000 km2, or a quarter of the total area of Algeria. To the east of Tamanrasset, rises the Atakor platform, a stunning landscape where lava fields hold a large place, where the altitude is everywhere above 2,000 m and on which the dismantled volcanoes protrude. flush with 3000 m. Its highest peak, Mount Tahat in the center of Atakor, rises to 2,918 meters and dominates Algeria.
The most famous site of the Hoggar, sung by many poets and novelists, is Assekrem, 80 km from Tamanrasset by bird’s eye and easily accessible by track. Assekrem hosted the summer hermitage of Charles de Foucauld, who moved there in 1911.
A true stone desert, the Hoggar is essentially made up of volcanic rocks.
Erosion has shaped an astonishing landscape with sharp peaks. Due to a less extreme climate than the rest of the Sahara, the Hoggar is an important refuge for certain animal and plant species. From an ecological point of view, it can be differentiated from the rest of the Sahara.
The Hoggar massif is also the country of the Tuaregs called Kel Ahaggar.
Near the town of Tamanrasset, in the oasis of Abalessa, it is possible to find the tomb of Tin Hinan, a matriarch ancestor of the Tuaregs of Hoggar. According to legend, Tin Hinan came from Tafilalet, in the Atlas Mountains, Morocco.
The immensity of these expanses of stones, the astonishing beauty of this volcanic relief, with its scree of basalt and porphyry, invite mystical contemplation. Like Charles de Foucauld, Christian hermits have long lived in the stone huts of Hoggar.