A hamada is a rocky, elevated desert plateau, especially common in the Sahara.
The name describes a hard, barren landscape in which wind has removed much of the loose sand and fine weathering debris. This process, called deflation, leaves exposed bedrock, basalt, gravel and boulders. Because the surface is relatively resistant, hamadas often form broad high plateaus rather than fields of shifting dunes.
The Sahara contains extensive hamada landscapes, and notable examples include the Tinrhert Plateau in Algeria. Similar rocky desert terrain occurs in the Negev Desert of Israel. Although hamadas may look lifeless, scattered plants and animals can survive in cracks, shallow soils and nearby drainage channels.
The key contrast is with an erg. An erg is dominated by wind-blown sand and dunes, whereas a hamada is dominated by hard rock. Another related term is reg, serir or gibber: these usually refer to stony desert plains or depressions, not elevated plateaus. Wadis may cut across hamadas, but a wadi is a usually dry river channel, not the name for the plateau itself.