20°30′N11°00′W / 20.5°N 11.0°W /20.5; -11.0
Adrar هضبة آدرار | |
|---|---|
Natural region | |
.JPG) Landscape of the stony desert known asReg de l'Adrar | |
 Location of the Adrar in central Mauritania | |
| Country | Mauritania |
| Elevation | 340 m (1,120 ft) |
TheAdrar (Arabic:هضبة آدرار,Berber for "mountain"[1]) is a highlandnatural andhistorical region of theSahara Desert in northernMauritania. TheAdrar Region, an administrative division of Mauritania, is named after the traditional region. It is sometimes called Adrar Tamar to distinguish it from other areas called Adrar in the Sahara.[1]
The Adrar is an aridplateau, known for itsgorges,regs (stony deserts) andsand dunes. Structurally the Adrar is a low centralmassif which rises to over 700 m (2,297 ft) above sea level just east ofAtar near theAmojjar Pass on the track toChinguetti, then loses elevation and becomes subsumed by dunes to the south and east. Limited cultivation is only possible in the gorges at lower elevations such likeoued Seguellil, where the water table is high enough to support large palm groves.[2]
Features include the Oued el Abiod or 'White Valley', a dune-filled fault line along which many small settlements and palm groves are found. The GuelbAouelloul crater is 3.1 million-old impact crater which was studied by the noted Saharan scholarThéodore Monod. To the east beyond Ouadane is the distinctiveRichat Structure, an uplifted and then heavily eroded dome of strata approximately 40 km across and whose concentric rings resemble an impact crater when observed from space.
The Adrar region is home to a small human population, centered on the town ofAtar. The ancient town ofOuadane, formerly an importantcaravan and gold-trading center, is located towards the eastern edge of the Adrar.Chinguetti is another important historical town in the region.[2]
The Adrar was settled in theNeolithic era as shown by cave and rock paintings found in the area such as theAgrour Amogjar. The more recentaridification has left much of thearchaeology intact, most notable severalstone circles, e.g. Atar Stone Circle, and the later town ofAzougui.[1]
Beginning in the mid-17th century, migrants from the Adrar Plateau region moved into theTagant Plateau and displaced the native population.[3]
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