Agadez
[key], town, W central Niger, in the Aïr Massif. Agadez is a trade center visited by
Tuareg pastoral nomads. Leather and silver handicrafts are
made. Tin, tungsten, uranium, and salt are mined nearby. Founded by the 11th cent., Agadez
developed because of its location on trans-Saharan caravan routes linking Egypt and Libya with
the Lake Chad area. Agadez was held by the Mali empire during part of the 14th cent., captured by the Songhai empire in 1515, and controlled by Bornu in the 17th cent. It remained a trade center until the late 19th cent.
During much of this time it was a center of Islamic learning. The French occupied the town in
the early 20th cent. Agadez has a 16th-century mosque and a school of mines.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Niger Political Geography
