#81 / Kaf Ajnoun, The Fortress of the Jinn

Today we will be exploring the work of explorer Kira Salak and her experiences in Libya regarding the ‘The Fortress of the Jinn' or Kaf Ajnoun.

Kaf Ajnoun is a jagged ridge with several peaks, the largest being The Qala'a (castle), along the Libya/Algeria border near the town of Ghat by the Akakus Massif. As it is in the Sahara, the native peoples are the nomads of the Tuareg and Tibu tribes.

Looking like a haunted  citadel crowned with a magical fortress-like summit, the mountain was thus assumed the abode of mythical beings. According to Berber Tuareg mythology the ‘The Fortress of the Jinn' was once a "Hall of Council", where genies met to discuss their affairs.

According to the explorer Hugh Clapperton, who visited the area in 1822, some of the inhabitants of the mountain, apparently with red hair, were heard to beat their drums at night and fire their muskets.

Adventurer and traveller Kira Salak who followed the trail of Hugh Clapperton climbed to the summit with her photographer friend Bobby Model. She reached the top and back safely without any encounters; but according to her around 18 months later, during an Ayahuasca session in Peru she discovered she had been  possessed by evil spirits that "entered her body when, against the warnings of the local tribesmen, she climbed a supposedly haunted mountain in Libya". The possession and subsequent exorcism will be detailed in the Plus show.

Show notes:
Libya: Land of cruel deaths by Kira Salak http://www.kirasalak.com/Libya.html
Peru: Hell and Back by Kira Salak. http://www.kirasalak.com/Peru.html
Bobby Model’s photos of the Libya trip http://www.kirasalak.com/PhotosLibya.html
Bobby Model’s website  https://m-11.com
National Geographic obituary for Bobby Model https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/adventure-friend-photographer-bobby-model-dies
Kaf Ajnoun https://www.temehu.com/Cities_sites/kaf-ajnoun.htm
Hugh Clapperton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Clapperton

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