No one could explain - how in the north-east of the African state of Niger in the Tenere Desert, acacia grew, which was called the loneliest tree on Earth?
There were no other trees at a distance of 400 kilometers around. The climate of Tenere is so severe that there is practically no vegetation here. Scientists became interested in this tree in the thirties of the last century, and found that it is already about 300 years old.
All these years, the lonely tree has been a real paradise for caravaneers following the hot desert. Here you could relax in the shade and drink water, two wells were drilled nearby - the groundwater lay at a depth of about 30 meters, somehow the acacia was able to reach the saving moisture with its roots and survive.
It has been suggested that many millennia ago, when the climate in these places was more favorable, there was a lake around which vegetation flourished. Archaeologists have discovered arrowheads and animal bones in the vicinity: giraffes, elephants, antelopes.
True, the Tuaregs, the people of the Berber group, who have inhabited these places for a long time, do not agree with this statement. The inhabitants of the desert have their own explanation - the rebellious young man was turned into a tree by the will of the god of thunder and lightning. This young man did not kneel before the god Adobe and did not sacrifice to him, for which he was severely punished.
In the Tuareg language, the name of the Tenere Desert means "isolated land". So it is, the main caravan routes skirted this inhospitable land. Only one 700-kilometer road passed through the Tenere Desert, along which caravans went twice a year (in winter and spring), transporting salt, which is mined near the city of Bilma.
Local residents strictly monitored that the unique tree was not harmed. Even picking one branch was considered a terrible crime. But, nevertheless, it was not possible to save the attraction of the Tenere desert. Back in 1959, the French ethnographer Henri Lot noted that the acacia was in a very sad state. Part of the crown was broken, probably by a hurricane. Nevertheless, the tree continued to fight for life and save the travelers with its shadow.
The Tenere tree pavilion.
Promotional video:
The tragedy happened in 1973. A drunk driver, driving a truck, crashed into a tree and finally destroyed it. Interestingly, the dead tree was given a great honor - on November 8 of the same year, its trunk was transported to the capital of the state of Niger - the city of Niamey. Here, in the National Museum of Niger, a special pavilion was built for him. A special commission was created to organize the transportation.
Monument to the Tenere tree.
A metal monument was erected in the place where the loneliest tree in the world was located for three centuries. It not only serves as a reminder of the lost acacia, but also serves as a reference point for the caravan, showing the way in the Tenere desert. By the way, not everyone supports the version that the tree was knocked down by a drunk driver. There is another suggestion - a strong wind was the culprit.
The uniqueness of a lonely tree in the Tenere Desert is evidenced even by the fact that it was plotted on maps in scale of 1: 4000000 … What other tree has received such an honor?