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by modernity ' s relentless march. Its ancient ksar, dating back to the year 1000, guarded extraordinary Neolithic rock carvings depicting elegant and unique figures of animals and humans, a history reaching back over 10,000 years.
Our path continued south, an endless ribbon of asphalt swept by winds and sands, leading us toward Timimoun; " the red city." This distant point marked the culmination of our outward journey, with Timimoun standing as a crossroads of history. About sixty kilometres away, the trans-Saharan caravan route unfolded, branching toward Adrar and Reggane, where the Bidon V, a legendary track stretching 1600 kilometres, cut through the Sahara to Gao in Mali. We fondly recalled our 1986 journey along the Bidon V, where we’ d ventured all the way to Dakar. Timimoun’ s vibrant claycoloured architecture carried stories of its neo-Sudanese style, while the vanished Sebkha salt lake whispered of medieval ksours scattered along its rocky cliffs, guardians of ancient trade routes.
El-Menia, whose many names adorned road signs, presented a verdant palm grove of over 200,000 trees, thriving alongside fruit
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