Essouk is a rural district of the north of the Mali, chief town of sector of the 8° area of Mali. The oral tradition wants that Bouctou, the founder of Tombouctou, is originating in Essouk.

In Essouk an important site of rupestral engraving is, estimated at - 6.000 years before JC.

History

The old capital of Adagh, Tadamakat (" it is it, Mecque") also called Essouk (the " marché"), the cradle of civilization touarègue.

In this caravan city of the medieval time, prosperous between IX^e and XII^e century, by successive waves the Berbères arrived which constituted the bottom of the settlement: groups Lemta and Houara (theBerber ones) followed by others, like the " pastors hamites" , Kel Tadamakat, and those come later from Oualata or the Morocco. In this crucible of Essouk crystallized and developed the culture Tuareg before essaimer inside the Mali and in the regions close to the Niger and the Algérie.

The Adagh, with the doors of Essouk shelters many historic sites of prehistory (Neolithic Paléolithique and ), Antiquité, Moyen-âge, Renaissance and finally of modern times. Prehistoric tools, engravings and cave paintings, lybico-Berber writing (Tifinagh), fossil human bones (the man of Asselar) etc were put at the day.

Essouk is also one of the first main doors of the Islam in Africa.

(Text reproduces with the pleasant aurorisation of Kidal.info, Internet site of information in Mali north)

Culture

the Saharan nights of Essouk (Festival of Essouk) take place every year, in the first fortnight of January.

Administrative

Common attached to this chief town:

Tanezruft, Dehedj, Djarhen, Tinazraf, In Tashdayt, Shadjam

External bonds

• Festival of Essouk

• Kidal.info
• an English article on the archeological site of Essouk