The Kel Adagh are a Toureg confederation of clans (or "Drum-Groups") living in the region of the Adrar des Iforas highlands in Mali

Mali

Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...

. The name comes from Tamasheq "Kel" ("those from/of") and "Adagh" ("Mountains"). In the modern era, not all Toureg in the Adrar des Iforas are Kel Adagh, while some Kel Adagh are spread through northern Niger

Niger

Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...

 and southern Algeria

Algeria

Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...

, with populations in Aïr, Tassili n'Ajjer

Tassili n'Ajjer

Tassili n'Ajjer is a mountain range in the Algerian section of the Sahara Desert. It is a vast plateau in south-east Algeria at the borders of Libya, Niger and Mali, covering an area of 72,000 sq...

 and the Hoggar. Most Kel Adagh derive from Noble and Warrior castes and their tributaries.

Noble Kel Adagh in Ifoghas include:

• Kel Afella (North) : tributaries of the Amenokal
  Amenokal
  Amenokal is an autochthonous title for the highest Tuareg traditional chiefs.-History:Before the colonization by the French of the North African and Sahel countries they dwell in, the nomadic Tuareg federations elected a chief among the wise men of the tribes to rule the loose union of closely...
  
   of Adagh.
• Kel Taghlit
• Kel Essouk (Religious caste tributary group)
• Kel Ouzzeyn
• Ifergoumessen
• Iriyaken

Tributaries include around forty tribes, the more notable of which are :

• Taghat Mellet ("Those of the white horse")
• Idnan
• Ibatanaten

See also

• Kel Tamasheq
  • Kel Ahaggar
    Kel Ahaggar
    Kel Ahaggar is a Tuareg confederation in the Ahaggar Mountains in Algeria. The confederation is believed to have been founded by Tin Hinan, with the "official" founding being around 1750...
    
    
  • Kel Ajjer
    Kel Ajjer
    Kel Ajjer is a Tuareg confederation in western Libya and eastern Algeria. Their main stronghold was Ghat, with Ubari coming second. They speak the language Tamahaq.-See also:* Azjar*Tuareg**Kel Adagh**Kel Ahaggar**Kel Ayr...
    
    
  • Kel Ayr
    Kel Ayr
    Kel Ayr were a semi-nomadic Tuareg tribal confederation which ruled an area centered on the Aïr Mountains in what is today Niger....
    
    
  • Kel Gres
    Kel Gres
    The Kel Gress are a Toureg confederation of clans who in the modern era have mostly lived in south central Niger, though who have a history of occupation of the Air Mountains prior to the 17th century...
    
    
  • Aulliminden
    Aulliminden
    The Iwellemmedan are one of the seven major Tuareg tribal or clan confederations...
    
    : Kel Ataram (west) and Kel Dinnik (east)