Fachi

Fachi Agram
Commune
Fachi
Coordinates:
Country	Niger
Region	Agadez Region
Department	Bilma Department
Commune	Fachi
Elevation	593 m (1,948 ft)
Time zone	WAT (UTC+1)

Fachi is an oasis surrounded by the Ténéré desert and the dunes of the Erg of Bilma in eastern Niger, placed on the western edge of the small Agram mountain outcropping. It has an estimated population of some 2000 people. A stopping point of the Agadez to Kaouar caravans of the Azalay, Fachi is 240 kilometres (150 miles) west of Bilma and 320 km (200 mi) east of the Aïr Mountains. Apart from water, dates, and salt, Fachi produces no provisions, and depends entirely upon trade in these products with passing caravans.

Frequently raided by Tuareg and other Bedouins in its past, the town is built within high fortifications, known locally as a ksar, built from banco salt blocks. They are now disused.

Fachis population is largely drawn from the Kanuri and Toubou peoples, in whose language the town is called Agram. Fachi, its official name, is from Tuareg and Hausa peoples who at one time lived there in larger numbers.

References

• Samuel Decalo. Historical Dictionary of Niger. Scarecrow Press, London and New Jersey (1979). ISBN 0-8108-1229-0
• Jolijn Geels. Niger. Bradt London and Globe Pequot New York (2006). ISBN 1-84162-152-8.