Ancient Trans-Saharan Ksar
Adrar Plateau, Mauritania
Located on the Adrar Plateau in northern Mauritania and threatened by the encroaching sands of the Sahara, the famous ksar of Chinguetti was once a medieval trading centre. Founded in the 13th century, as the centre of several trans-Saharan trade routes, this tiny city continues to attract a growing number of adventurous travellers who admire its architecture, exotic scenery and ancient libraries.
Background
Chinguetti was originally founded in 777, and by the 11th century had become a trading centre for a confederation of Berber tribes known as the Sanhadja Confederation. Soon after settling Chinguetti, the Sanhadja first interacted with, and eventually melded with, the Almoravids, the founders of the Moorish Empire which stretched from present-day Senegal to Spain. The city's stark unadorned architecture reflects the strict religious beliefs of the Almoravids, who spread the Malikite rite of Sunni Islam throughout the Western Maghrib.
After two centuries of decline, the city was effectively re-founded in the 13th century as a fortified trans-Saharan caravan trading centre connecting the Mediterranean with Sub-Saharan Africa. Although the walls of the original fortification disappeared centuries ago, many of the buildings in the old section of the city still date from this period.