Travel Tindouf, Cities, Travel Destinations

Tindouf is a city in the western part of Saharan-Algeria with a population of about 30,000 residents. It was built in 1852 by members of the Sahrawi Tajakant tribe, near an isolated Saharan oasis, but got sacked and destroyed by Reguibat Sahrawis in 1895. Tindouf remained abandoned until 1934, which was when the French troops arrived in the area. Since Algeria's independence in 1962 the town has been built up significantly - mainly because of its importance as a last outpost before the Moroccan, Sahrawi and Mauritanian borders and partly because of the influx of large numbers of refugees from the Western Sahara.

Tindouf is situated on the Hammada, a large desert plain of the Sahara desert that is historically known as “The Devil’s Garden”. The city also has a very hot climate, with summer temperatures reaching up to 50ºC and frequent sand storms.

Tindouf itself does not have much to offer to tourists, except perhaps the experience of viewing life in refugee camps that have been set up in the area and the vast Sahara plains.

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