The Conquest of the Sahara

by Douglas Porch

Chronicles the ultimately successful efforts of the French, at the close of the nineteenth century, to explore the Sahara Desert, conquer the fierce Tuareg tribesmen, and impose French domination across North Africa

Genres: History, Nonfiction, France, Military History, Algeria, Africa, Morocco

332 pages, Hardcover

First published October 12, 1984

About the author

Douglas Porch is an American historian, academic and a Professor and former Chair of the Department of National Security Affairs for the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee in 1967 and a Ph. D. from Cambridge University in 1972. He has been a professor of strategy at the Naval War College, a guest lecturer at the Marine Corps University, a post-doctoral research fellow at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris and the Mark W. Clark Professor of History at The Citadel.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Conquest of the Sahara gets 3 stars but a strong recommendation nevertheless. I did not know how central the French were in taking the Sahara. I had only thought of them as significant in Algeria but they were everywhere. Porch tells a tale of some very strange and eccentric figures who launch off on missions to explore and, later, conquer various areas. In fact, the spread of the French into North Africa was haphazard and not part of a grander plan. There is little to recommend the coming of French influence and “civilization”. Where they do not kill the inhabitants, they set about ruining the wadi’s and oases where the desert folks live.

This story takes place between 1875 and 1905. Supposedly the French are trying to make amends for their humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian war by gaining an empire to rival the Brits and others. Additionally, the colonial army was the dumping ground for less well-behaved men and officers, who then go on a search for glory and riches in the desert. In a humorous exchange, the Brits sign a treaty to give the French free rein in the Sahara, which no one else wants. “Like giving a comb to a bald man” goes their joke. The book then lurches from adventurer to glory hound, recounting battles and long, thirsty marches in the wastelands.

Slavery was a big player in the economy of the desert. The slave trade was a source of money and the French were resisted because it was known they would stop the trade. The French often freed slaves where they found them but not always. Slaves provided the manpower to farm the oases and other menial tasks, allowing their Arab masters to live graciously. When the French found that no one was left to work, they found ways to keep slaves employed, either by sending them back to their masters or arranging a set period of work where they could buy their freedom.

In the end, I reduced the rating because Porch never gave me a feel for the Tuareg (“abandoned of god”), Chaamba, Haritin or other indigenous folks opposing the French. There are battles and raids galore but the main enemy is the desert itself. He never interested me in any of the French who invaded or any of the resistance. I never was engaged by the story. Still, it is not a boring story and is a decent read.

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I "discovered" Douglas Porch twenty-seven years ago when I was searching for a book about the French Foreign Legion. At first, I found his writing style a bit hard to warm up to, but I kept at it, and he is now my favorite English language French military historian. Not sure if that is actually a category in academia, but I'm running with it.

When my wife presented me with this book for Christmas 2024 (first U.S. hardback edition) she smiled at my childlike enthusiasm and remarked "I'd rather eat ground up glass in curdled blood" to our guests. We've been together since 1988 so trust me when I tell you there is real love in the remark. However, for some reading a book about the French conquest of Saharan Africa in the late 1800s does seem the equal of consuming such a questionable confection. I would have to disagree.

Mr. Porch does not spare the French from criticism when it comes to the building of its African Empire. The whole conquest occurred in fits and starts and often was led by ego maniacs and glory hounds who ignored the various policies, directives and even direct orders. Those adventurers would swan off on ill-advised and poorly equipped "scientific expeditions". More than a few ended in disaster, but they never seemed to lack for volunteers (despite the fact that an agonizing death was the likely end) when another brain-dead expedition was organized. Despite this the French eventually did manage to "conquer" much of the Sahara and then proceeded to govern it on the cheap, with little regard for the economic, environmental and political realities of the vast region.

All this is detailed in this very entertaining and educational account. This isn't a starry-eyed, flag waving account of the building of an unnecessary empire. Yet it still makes for a fascinating read and an enlightening one as well. If one is interested in the dubious work of empire building, then I recommend giving this book a try as well as Mr. Porch's other works.

Two criticisms however: only one map that is not nearly detailed enough and no photographs. Thankfully in 2025 it is easy to now find photos and maps courtesy of the Internet. In 1984 it would have taken a bit more work (I actually enjoy digging through books for such information, but I realize I'm an artifact) and I would have been frustrated if I had spent the then significant amount of $ 12.50 USD (approximately $40 in 2025) for a historical account with no maps or photos. With this criticism in mind, I still give it four stars.

[Christopher Saunders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Douglas Porch's The Conquest of Sahara chronicles France's efforts to "civilize" West Africa, from the desserts of Algeria to the nebulously defined French Sudan, consisting of Mali, Niger and Chad. Porch, a veteran military historian, expertly sketches the peculiar origins of the French colonial project: France's conquests of North Africa and Senegal generated their own momentum, while ill-disciplined, insubordinate army officers launched unauthorized expeditions into Africa's interior. Thus, conquest begat conquest with little military oversight or guidance from Paris, success justifying all. This resulted in exciting military conquests (the French seizure of Timbuktu), political gamesmanship (the Fashoda confrontation with England), disastrous massacres and ill-advised caravans. Most notably, the insane Voulet-Chanoine Expedition, where two French officers disobeyed orders, massacred thousands of natives and tried forming a Kurtz-like private kingdom. Porch balances his portrait of French folly and bloodshed by sketching local groups like the Tuareg and Hausa, whose unique cultures resisted all attempts to conquer or "civilize" them. If the book has a shortcoming, it's that Porch occasionally lapses into blood-and-thunder adventure writing, seemingly inevitable in Western works on colonialism. Even so, Porch offers a sobering portrait of how often imperialism fails to impart civilization or order, often lacks even coherent motivation, and how eagerly, and pointlessly men will shed blood for private ambition.

[Russell Wenholz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Conquest of the Sahara – by the French – is defined by historians as the period from the 1880s to the first decades of the twentieth century. So the book with this title – by Douglas Porch - is concerned with only this period. (Although the French had been active in north Africa for many years before the 1880s). Early chapters are description of the country and its people. My interest increased with the accounts of the exploring expeditions (notably Flatters, Lamy). There is a lack of discipline with French soldiers and there are problems with Touregs, guides, camels, lack of food and water. There were engineers and other professional men on the team but their success or otherwise in locating a route for a Trans-Saharan railway is not stated. Final chapters cover a war between the French and local population in a region of Algeria close to the Moroccan border, and French attempts to control the entire region. (Too many named locations, battles, skirmishes,and Arabic words). “This country will never feed, with its inhabitants, the soldiers whom we wish to station there.” There is a brief account of the fascinating life of – soldier, profligate, hermit, missionary, martyr, saint - Charles de Foucauld. Throughout the entire “Conquest” the French troops were hampered by impractical, inconsistent instructions from politicians in Paris. Any success was due to the dedication and ability of the French soldiers. There are splashes of Arabic wisdom: “deliberation comes from God, haste from Satan” and “the Jew and the flea are two pests which one does not meet in the desert.” In common with indigenous Australians, the indigenous Saharans “possess so completely the habit of noticing the most intimate things (a sandhill, a rock, a difference in colour in the sand, a few tufts of herbage) that they never go astray.” The genocide practised by the French in north Africa was more severe than the genocide inflicted on the indigenous people of Australia. The book contains a good map. There is no use of the term “French Foreign Legion.”? (In 1971 I spent a week driving across the Sahara - Niger to Morocco).

[Mike Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd been putting this one on the back-burner for a while, as I was fairly convinced that it wasn't exactly going to be riveting stuff. So it was a pleasant surprise to find out that it is actually written in a very entertaining fashion, and gives plenty of info about a whole range of things outside of the colonial soldiering view with which I came to it. So bravo to Porch for that.

I'll look forward to reading the sister piece, The Conquest of Morocco, next.

Criticisms? Well, in setting the scene the author doesn't really get into the action until about p.100, and furthermore he perhaps doesn't make it clear enough (in the opening part of the book) that the story of the Saharian conquest was decidely non-linear in its progression, involving as it did several, and importantly, rival French colonies, and various different colonial drives over a period of time. I also thought that it dragged a little in the last couple of chapters, although given the scope of the story, in both land mass and chronology, this is hardly surprising.

[Angelo Mifsud · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was hard to get into but the more I read the more the history and events surprised me. I never knew of the turmoil and carnage that the French inflicted on North Africa but it was what a country that wanted power did in those days, and in the end was it worth it, and have any lessons been learnt? I did find it interesting, it has enhanced my knowledge and well written, and it was enjoyable from that aspect.

[Jared Higgs · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st half of the books was better than the 2nd in my opinion, although I did take a break about halfway through. Towards the end begins to be too sympathetic to the French cause. Also includes some racialized stereotypes about how Blacks, Arabs and Berbers act. Very strong focus on the individual officers and expeditions as a story.

[David Pospisil · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting history of the Sahara in the late 1800's/early 1900's which is also well written.
I learned much about the geography of the Sahara as well as the characters of those involved in the French conquest of the territory.
I am grateful for the opportunity to learn many things never addressed in high school history classes.

[Greynomad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writes well. The French didn't learn any better than the US did in both Iraq, Vietnam and Afganistan.
Go in big with a large force push the enemy back, leave and have to fight again same place different time

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good account of the French conquest of Algeria (and some of the Italian conquest of Italy). Not quite as good as the Conquest of Morocco, but probably because that book detailed a takeover a country rather than taking over desert.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The information in this book is incredible, and the story (although is really about 30 story's) is pretty new to me so I found it fascinating. It is kind of hard to digest because of the entire world of culture that is hard to wrap my head around.

[Cambrone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Did not expect a professional historian to write so well. Gripping, entertaining, smart,funny plus you feel confident that what you are reading is historically accurate...
For those who will read it in kindle format, make sure you use the map at location 5730.

[Briapedia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting read. I'm glad it was written before histories were forced to be so politicized.

[Dug Popovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lure them into Le Desert. Kill them.

[Willy Boy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not very exciting cover disguises a brilliant read, every page packed with fascinating information that evaokes an era of hubris, ambition, and