Sahara Desert: Did you mean...?

A photograph taken in January 1943 showing Corporal John Henderson of the Scots Guards during the Western Desert Campaigns in North Africa in the second World War (1939-45). (Imperial War Museums)

West Africa was one of the world's greatest producers of gold in the Middle Ages. Trade in the metal went back to antiquity but when the camel caravans of the Sahara linked North Africa to the savannah interior, the trade really took off...

The Mali Empire (1240-1645) of West Africa was founded by Sundiata Keita (r. 1230-1255) following his victory over the kingdom of Sosso (c. 1180-1235). Sundiata's centralised government, diplomacy and well-trained army permitted a massive...

A photograph of General Erwin Rommel and his Chief of Staff, Fritz Bayerlein during the North Africa Campaign of the Second World War (1939-45). (Imperial War Museums)

Extracts of satellite images from Google Earth and Bing of kites from the Harrat-al-Sham in Jordan (above left), Qaratein area in Syria (above right), Ustyurt Plateau in Kazakhstan (bottom left) and the mountains of Palmyre in Syria (bottom...

A cell at the extremity of a pointed appendice from a kite in Armenia (up). The same configuration in Jordan, a cell under excavation (down).

Mansa Musa I was the ruler of the Mali Empire in West Africa from 1312 to 1337. Controlling territories rich in gold and copper, and monopolising trade between the north and interior of the continent, Mali grew extremely wealthy. Mansa Musa...

Following the conquest of North Africa by Muslim Arabs in the 7th century CE, Islam spread throughout West Africa via merchants, traders, scholars, and missionaries, that is largely through peaceful means whereby African rulers either tolerated...

Hausaland, sometimes referred to as the Hausa Kingdoms, was a group of small independent city-states in northern central Africa between the Niger River and Lake Chad which flourished from the 15th to 18th century CE. The origins of the Hausa...

In February 1941, Erwin Rommel arrived in Libya to save an Italian army in disarray. But instead of following orders to defend his position, Rommel attacked. Leading from the front, he pushed the understrength British and Commonwealth forces...