IT鈥橲 a place so remote it makes the middle of nowhere seem bustling. Yet for . Almost every year for four decades the veteran geologist and climate researcher has been leading teams of scientists to places like this, the Tibesti massif in the heart of the Sahara desert.
An atlas will tell you that the mountainous Tibesti region lies in the north of Chad 鈥� but the complications start with who exactly calls the shots here. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 have the support from the government and at the same time from the local chiefs, there is no chance that you could set your foot in the Tibesti,鈥� says Kr枚pelin, of the University of Cologne, Germany.
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It helps to have connections. Kr枚pelin played a pivotal part in establishing the Lakes of Ounianga, a unique system of interconnected desert lakes, as Chad鈥檚 . And after decades of high-profile research in the region, he is on good terms with the country鈥檚 long-time president, Idriss D茅by. For this year鈥檚 month-long trip, which began in February, D茅by provided a military aircraft that took the team and all their equipment to Barda茂, the 2000-soul central settlement of the Tibesti. 鈥淚t saved us at least one week of driving, more than 1000 miles off-road,鈥� says Kr枚pelin. The governor of the region met them at the airstrip.
The Tibesti is home to the Sahara鈥檚 highest mountains. An aerial view shows the most notable features of this arid landscape: the that are key to its scientific interest. Most volcanic areas lie close to the active boundaries of tectonic plates; this is one of the few that does not. In happier climatic times the Tibesti was also home to ancient peoples, who left rock art and artefacts like pottery and arrowheads.
Few scientists have explored the region, thanks to a killer combination of rugged terrain, remoteness and long-term political instability. It borders Libya, Niger and Sudan, and internal and external conflicts have made it a no-go area for long periods. 鈥淧arts of northern Chad have been heavily mined by the Libyans and later by bandits and rebels,鈥� Kr枚pelin says. Barda茂 hit the headlines in 1974 when a French archaeologist working there, Fran莽oise Claustre, was taken hostage by a group of rebels. She was held for almost 3 years.
Things are a little friendlier now 鈥� and once in the mountains, the danger recedes. 鈥淚f terrorists coming down from Libya found us, I would congratulate them,鈥� says Kr枚pelin. 鈥淭he terrain is so rugged that you can cross within 200 yards and nobody would notice you.鈥�
Kr枚pelin specialises in finding geological signs of past climates 鈥� by drilling sediment cores from beneath ancient lake beds, for example 鈥� and clues to former habitation. But since the central Tibesti is largely uncharted, this year鈥檚 expedition had a wider focus. 鈥淚f you are the first one to do a scientific survey, you鈥檙e not just looking for geologic deposits,鈥� says Kr枚pelin. 鈥淚 capture everything.鈥� That means collecting as many samples as possible, taking photos of every insect and plant, every piece of meteorite and rock art. 鈥淓ven going behind a dune to relieve myself, I take my field notebook and camera, just in case.鈥�
It is an intense environment in which to work. 鈥淚n the vastness, your own existence loses any importance and at the same time every drop of water becomes unbelievably important,鈥� says Kr枚pelin. 鈥淵ou are living with nature and you are really part of nature.鈥� Relationships between researchers gain a new significance, too. 鈥淚f you spend four weeks with someone in the desert, you know probably more about him than his wife does. There is nothing you can hide 鈥� the desert exposes every tiny neurotic feature.鈥�
Allah鈥檚 garden
For all its desolate beauty, the Tibesti is not the sort of place you want to hang around in when the job鈥檚 done. When a promised plane for part of the return journey was indefinitely delayed, Kr枚pelin made the decision to drive south to the capital, N鈥橠jamena. About 500 kilometres into the journey they happened across some refugees fleeing Libya whose car had become stuck in sand. 鈥淲e found them by pure accident. We were driving and suddenly we saw two young men approaching us, on the brink of death.鈥� Driving them back to their car they found two more people, also in a bad way. Kr枚pelin鈥檚 team gave them food and water, helped unstick them from the sand and escorted them to the nearest village. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 leave people in the desert.鈥�
Such conditions demand respect, a respect Kr枚pelin has never lost in all his years of visiting. 鈥淭he most amazing nomads, the toughest ones, say that it鈥檚 Allah鈥檚 garden 鈥� where he took away everything that is not important. It鈥檚 a feeling that I share.鈥�
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淣omad鈥檚 land鈥�
