The Lost Tree (french: Arbre Perdu), also known as the Arbre Thierry Sabine, is an isolated

relict A relict is a surviving remnant of a natural phenomenon. Biology A relict (or relic) is an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas. Geology and geomorphology In geology, a r ...

tree in the

Ténéré The Ténéré (Tuareg: Tenere, literally: "desert") is a desert region in the south central Sahara. It comprises a vast plain of sand stretching from northeastern Niger into western Chad, occupying an area of over . The Ténéré's boundaries are ...

region of the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

desert in northeast

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesacacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus n ...

clinging to its exposed root mound, and annually denuded by passing travellers seeking firewood. Despite its small size and diminished state, the tree's remoteness made it an important landmark on the desolate route between

Adrar Bous Adrar Bous is a massif in the Aïr Mountains on the western edge of the Ténéré Desert, Niger. Archaeological research at Adrar Bous, conducted by J. Desmond Clark, has produced finds spanning the Late Acheulean (1.76 – 0.13 Ma) through th ...

in the northern

Aïr Mountains The Aïr Mountains or Aïr Massif ( tmh, Ayăr; Hausa: Eastern ''Azbin'', Western ''Abzin'') is a triangular massif, located in northern Niger, within the Sahara. Part of the West Saharan montane xeric woodlands ecoregion, they ...

and the outpost of Chirfa on the edge of the

Djado Plateau The Djado Plateau lies in the Sahara, in northeastern Niger. It is known for its cave art (often of large mammals long since absent from the area), but is now largely uninhabited, with abandoned towns and forts still standing and visible. As of 2 ...

.''Petit Futé: Niger'', p.191 Sabine2003

Thierry Sabine Thierry Sabine (13 June 1949, Neuilly-sur-Seine – 14 January 1986, Mali) was a French wrangler, motorcycle racer and founder and main organizer of the Dakar Rally. Career In 1977 he got lost on the Tchigai Plateau, near the isolated mountain of ...

, founder of the

Dakar Rally The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as the "Paris–Dakar Rally") is an annual rally raid organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. Most events since the inception in 1978 were staged from Paris, France, to Dakar, Senegal ...

which ran in Africa from 1979 to 2007, died in a helicopter crash near

Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label= Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrat ...

during the 1986 rally. His ashes were scattered at the Lost Tree a few days later. The

held a special resonance with Sabine after he became stranded on the nearby Tchigaï Plateau as a participant in the 1977 Abidjan-Nice rally. Maps printed for the rally after his death described it as "Arbre Thierry Sabine". A marble and brass plaque below the tree was dedicated to his memory. It's said the original plaque read: "For those who take a challenge – for those who follow a dream".

References

{{Reflist Individual trees in Niger Geography of Niger Tuareg *

See also

References