A mud-brick minaret at the gateway to the Sahara
Agadez grew as a crossroads of trans-Saharan caravan routes and a centre of Tuareg culture. Its Grand Mosque, rebuilt in the 16th century, has a minaret of mud brick about 27 metres high bristling with wooden beams, the tallest structure of its kind in the world. The surrounding old quarter of earthen houses is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Silversmiths make the distinctive Agadez cross, and the town is the historic gateway to the Aïr Mountains and the Ténéré Desert.