Fachi is an

oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Ténéré The Ténéré (Tuareg languages, Tuareg: Tenere, literally: "desert") is a desert region in south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger to western Chad, occupying an area of over . The Ténéré's b ...

desert and the dunes of the Erg of Bilma in eastern

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

, placed on the western edge of the small Agram mountain outcropping. It has a population of 2,215 people (2012). It is also a stopping point of the

Agadez Agadez ( Air Tamajeq: ⴰⴶⴰⴷⴰⵣ, ''Agadaz''), formerly spelled Agadès, is the fifth largest city in Niger, with a population of 110,497 based on the 2012 census. The capital of the eponymous Agadez Region, the city lies in the Sahara ...

to the Kaouar caravans of the Azalay. Fachi is west of Bilma and east of the

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif (Air Tamajeq language, Tamajăq: ''Ayǝr''; Hausa language, Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Sa ...

. 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 The Tuareg people (; also spelled Twareg or Touareg; endonym, depending on variety: ''Imuhaɣ'', ''Imušaɣ'', ''Imašeɣăn'' or ''Imajeɣăn'') are a large Berber ethnic group, traditionally nomadic pastoralists, who principally inhabit th ...

and

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...

s in its past, the town is built within high fortifications, known locally as a ''ksar'', built from ''banco'' salt blocks; they are now unused. Fachi's population is largely 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). * Jolijn Geels. Niger. Bradt London and Globe Pequot New York (2006). . Communes of Niger Sahara Oases of Niger Agadez Region {{Niger-geo-stub