tribal confederation · Egypt, North Africa and Sudan

Kel Ewey

1500 CE – 1917 CE (approx.) · capital Timia

A powerful Tuareg confederation of the Aïr mountains, masters of the salt caravans between the Sahara and Hausaland.

Origins

The Kel Ewey are thought to have entered the Aïr massif in the 15th or 16th century, displacing earlier Tuareg groups such as the Kel Gres southward. They established themselves in the central and eastern Aïr around Timia and Iferouane, closely linked to the Sultanate of Agadez.

Rule and society

The confederation was led by an anastafidet whose influence over the choice of sultan in Agadez was considerable. Society was hierarchical, with noble, vassal, religious and servile groups. The Kel Ewey organised the great caravans carrying salt and dates from Bilma and Fachi south to Hausaland, returning with millet and cloth.

Decline and legacy

French troops occupied Aïr after 1900. In 1916 to 1917 Kaocen ag Mohammed, of a Kel Ewey section, led a major revolt and besieged Agadez, but French forces crushed the uprising in 1917. The Kel Ewey remain a major Tuareg group in Niger.

Connections (1)

More states of Egypt, North Africa and Sudan →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kel Ewey. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kel-ewey
MLA
“Kel Ewey.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kel-ewey. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kel Ewey.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kel-ewey.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kel Ewey’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/kel-ewey (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻