Chadians take Ambassador Laskaris by the hand
No road, no problem. With the Sultan of Gaoui, His Majesty Hassan Abdoulaye Mahamat, waiting for him, Ambassador Laskaris did not let a little rain stop him from paying his respects. His Majesty took him by the hand and guided him into his village, where he received the warmest and wettest welcome of his career (according to him). He and his people brought him into their homes, their mosques, their pottery workshops, their markets, their mills and their schools. ”With Chadians guiding me, I hope to learn about the marvelous and rich diversity of my new home … and I am off to a great start” The Ambassador said.
Gaoui (Arabic: Strong) is a village in Chad, lying 10km north east of N’Djamena. It is said to have been the capital of the Sao civilization (a race of giants in local folklore) , and is now known for its traditional architecture and pottery manufacture. It is also home to a museum.
The village is the only one to house the vestiges of the Sao people civilization. In its museum, it is possible to observe finds recovered during the archaeological excavations of the Sao civilization and more recent finds used by the Kotoko ethnic group, currently present in the village and in a part of Chad.
The historic sultan’s palace houses the oldest building in Chad. This building was built in the 19th century. Renovated in the 90s, it has been transformed into a museum.