The ancient and mysterious city of Djado, once a fortified citadel on the slave traders route to Libya, is now a haunting jumble of decaying mud architecture. Although it hasn’t rained here for many years, every year in the cool season the dry lake surrounding the city fills up, giving it additional protection from attack. The limited amount of land on this seasonal islet made its inhabitants build multi-story buildings using precious pieces of palm trunks for ceiling beams. The city died not long after the abolition of the slave trade and now is only visited seasonally by Toubou people from Chirfa, who come here to work the date palms, said to be the best in Niger.
