Bilma
Oasis town and salt-production center in the Ténéré desert.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Bilma is an oasis town and commune in northeastern Niger. Sheltered from the desert dunes by the Kaouar Cliffs, it is the largest settlement along the Kaouar escarpment. The town is known for its gardens, salt and natron production using evaporation ponds, date cultivation, and as the endpoint of the Azalai, one of the last Saharan caravan routes from Agadez.
As of the 2012 census, the total population was 4,016. Most residents are Kanuri, with smaller communities of Toubou, Tuareg, and Hausa people. The Hausa presence reflects Bilma’s historical role as a key stop on trans-Saharan trade routes.
Bilma serves as the administrative seat of the Bilma Department, covering northeastern Niger. Salt production continues in large natron pans, and the salt is still sold for livestock use across West Africa. Tourism, based out of Agadez and the Aïr Mountains to the west, is growing in importance.
The town has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh). It lies deep in the Sahara, in the hyper-arid Ténéré region spanning northeastern Niger and western Chad, and receives very little measurable precipitation each year. Winters are hot, and summers are extremely hot for long periods. Average high temperatures in winter exceed a certain threshold, and from April through September they surpass another, peaking in June. The record high was set on June 23, 2010. The lowest temperature recorded in Niger, −2.4 °C (27.7 °F), occurred in Bilma on January 13, 1995. Sunshine duration is very high year-round, with about 4,000 hours of bright sunshine annually.
The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century. During French colonial rule, the town hosted a major but isolated military post at Fort Dromard. After independence, Bilma’s isolation made it a destination for disgraced officials under the authoritarian regime of Seyni Kountché, and a prison was built there. Political leaders, including Sanoussi Tambari Djakou, now president of the PNA-AL party, were held there in the 1980s. In 1989, UTA Flight 772 crashed in the desert near Bilma after a bomb exploded on board, killing all 170 people.
- location
- North east Niger, under the Kaouar Cliffs
- climate
- Hot desert climate (Köppen BWh), average annual precipitation 12.7 mm
- known_for
- Salt and natron production, date cultivation, Azalai caravan route terminus
Lore & Background
Bilma's population is mostly Kanuri, with smaller Toubou, Tuareg, and Hausa populations, the last being a reminder of its role as a key stop in the Trans Saharan trade. The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century. During French Colonial rule, Bilma was the site of a major military post at Fort Dromard. After independence, the isolation of Bilma made it the destination for disgraced officials under the authoritarian regime of Seyni Kountché, and a prison was built there by the government. Political leaders were held there in the 1980s, such as Sanoussi Tambari Djakou, today president of the PNA-AL, a Nigerien political party.
Reader's Guide
The town lies deep in the heart of the Sahara Desert, more precisely in the Ténéré, a hyper-arid desert region. It is extremely dry, averaging only 12.7 mm of measurable precipitation annually. Bilma is hot during the winter months and extremely hot during the summer months; average high temperatures in winter surpass 27 °C, and exceed 40 °C from April to September, peaking at 44 °C in June. The sunshine duration is extremely high year-round with some 4,000 hours of bright sunshine annually.
Did You Know?
- The poet Abu Ishaq Ibrahim al-Kanemi was born in Bilma in the 12th century.
- Bilma is the destination of the Azalai, one of the last Saharan caravan routes, from Agadez.
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