Am Timan

Am Timan is a city in Chad, the capital of Salamat prefecture. It has a population of 21,269 (as of 1993). Am Timan means "mother of twins," although the reason for the name is not known. As the capital of the prefecture, it has the area secondary school and a clinic, and hosts the largest market day and holiday celebrations.

During the rebel period, a cotton plantation and processing plant just outside the city was destroyed.

The city's sand airport was upgraded by the French Foreign Legion in 1971 to allow military air transports to supply the anti-rebel effort. At the time, the only practical way in or out of the city was by air.

Since the area has a dry season for about ten months of the year, water becomes a problem as the dry season progresses. Aquifers are accessed by digging deeper and deeper into the bed of the Bahr Salamat (river). The river becomes a strong flowing river with the onset of rain, however, and the children enjoy swimming in it.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a hippopotamus in the river had been tamed to the point that people could sit or stand on its back, and it would accept grasses from the hand. It was quite an attraction for the local residents.