Les oasis du Monde, carrefour des civilisations et modèle fondamental de durabilité

Abstract

The oases offer a dazzling abundance of life in hot deserts, where aggressive nature, precisely, develops its absolute tyranny. It is remarkable, also, that they have virtually monopolized the development of the first major human civilizations, with the huge oases of Egypt and Mesopotamia. The oases of the Middle East have been, for thousands of years, universal centers spreading a civilization of high quality, and their model has been adapted and generalized, gradually, to the known world. They had a structuring character for the entire process of human civilization. This model has developed the main cultivars of mass consumption, enabled the major selection of domestic animals, provided human sedentary establishment, and centralized governance of the nations. It is, obviously, the fundamental model of sustainability. We will not say more, the historical subject being widely documented. The present article looks at different examples of outstanding oases to learn lessons of sustainable development. To do so, we will consult, from one continent to the other, the arid Americas, as well as the Chinese Far East, the old lavish metropolises of Central Asia, such as the multifaceted Samarkand and Tashkent, going back to the recluses oases of the great African Sahara, looking for a possible authenticity. Thus equipped, we could try, first, to make useful choices, in the path of development suited to the vast oases regions themselves. However, beyond that, we could join in the efforts of the world, and go to the front of this ecological transition towards sustainable development, so sought after. Indeed, the oasis area, which is the universal front line of the struggle against desertification, appears as a real field breeder, mastering behaviors that are supposed to lead to a more sustainable development for all humanity.