Chinguetti Ouadane and the ancient desert libraries

Imagine running your fingers over manuscripts that are nearly a thousand years old. These precious texts, the oldest Islamic writings in Africa, have traversed vast distances on caravans and now reside in humble, family-run libraries in the heart of the Sahara. This journey to discover the ancient libraries of Chinguetti was nothing short of magical, complemented by an epic expedition through the dunes toward Ouadane, where even more treasures await in the desert.

As we journeyed to Ouadane, a former caravan city of Mauritania, I was astonished by the breathtaking views offered by the Amogjar Pass, a steep and narrow gorge that has served as a key route for traders and travelers crossing the Sahara.

Daily Route: Chinguetti - Ouadane - Atar

On this trip, logistics and time management are crucial. I am traveling with Leti Lagarda and a group organized by the exceptional agency of Joan Torres, known for its focus on unconventional travel destinations. It’s important to book well in advance, as these groups often fill up months ahead of time.

The day’s route was similar to this (Clic Google Maps).

What are the options for getting to Ouadane?

How to Reach Ouadane from Chinguetti

The journey between these two heritage gems is not for the faint of heart or those with any spinal issues:

• Distance: Approximately 80 km (which feels like 800 when traversed through dunes).
• Duration: Between 3-4 hours, depending on how often you get stuck in the sand.
• Type of route: There are two options: the "boring" (conventional path, longer but safer) or the "interesting" (a direct route across the dunes, shorter but likely to make you reconsider your life choices).
• Requirements: 4x4 vehicles with drivers who seem to have GPS embedded in their DNA and less survival instinct than a suicidal lemming.

Of course, we chose the "interesting" route because we evidently undervalued our physical integrity.

Chinguetti and the Lost Libraries of the Sahara

After a restless night at the Auberge Timnguistt in Chinguetti, where the air conditioning was more of an idea than a reality, I prepared to explore this historic city on foot, leaving the cars behind.

Accompanied by our main guide, Moma, and Leti, we embarked on a journey through the ksar (old city). The morning calm and the golden light bathing the stone made Chinguetti resemble a scene from a fairytale, a portal to the past when caravans stopped here on their way to Mecca.

A Walk Through the History of Chinguetti (Even If We Get Lost)

Founded in the 13th century, Chinguetti became the seventh holy city of Islam. It was a mandatory stop for Maghreb pilgrims and evolved into a significant center for Islamic scholarship. Established in 1264, it was a crucial intersection for trade and the exchange of ideas.

While there is a more modern area, the historical center is a labyrinth of narrow streets perfectly adapted to the desert, with sandstone houses blending into the surroundings—or what's left of them.

Dominating the landscape is the Chinguetti Mosque, whose minaret lacks internal stairs. At the moment, we cannot access it, but we can admire it from the outside.

We turned a corner and managed to ascend what was once the unstable roof of an abandoned house, providing us with a perspective and context of our location.

As we continued through the maze of streets, some so narrow that we had to walk in single file… UNTIL WE GOT LOST! It was a brief moment, snapping four photos, but Arjun, Ehedi, Antonio, and Nina found ourselves separated when we stopped hearing the rest of our group. "Letiii!" "Moma!" No one responded, and we were truly in a maze. The ever-present sand accumulated in corners, a constant reminder of the city’s battle against the encroaching desert. After 20 tense minutes, our guide appeared, looking worried. Phew... how would we have found our way out?

"Fifty years ago," Moma remarked with nostalgia, "many of these abandoned houses were filled with life. Desertification and migration have gradually emptied the ksar."

The Millennia-Old Libraries of Chinguetti

We headed to the library of the Al-Ahmed family, one of the best-preserved. Mohamed, the custodian, greeted us. He appeared to be a serene man dressed in a traditional blue daraa. The library, a room with thick stone walls, housed shelves filled with centuries-old manuscripts wrapped in leather.

"This family library contains about 400 manuscripts," Mohamed explained, donning white gloves. "The oldest dates back to the 11th century. They cover astronomy, mathematics, medicine, Islamic law, literature, and the Quran." These families have protected these treasures from the elements for generations.

With care, Mohamed shared some gems with us. First, a 13th-century astronomy treatise featuring diagrams of constellations in incredibly vibrant natural inks. "The ink was made from charcoal, gum arabic, and the secrets of each scribe," he explained. Resistant to time and insects.

Then there was a medical manuscript with recipes still used in local traditional medicine. "My grandmother prepared this remedy for fever the same way, eight hundred years later." The crown jewel: a legal manuscript from the 11th century, brought from Al-Andalus. "It contains legal commentaries from Cordoban jurists that are not preserved anywhere else," Mohamed said proudly. "European researchers come to study it."

These libraries are alive. Mohamed explained how the responsibility for caring for the manuscripts passes from generation to generation, and how he teaches his son the preservation techniques. "How do you protect them from sand and humidity?" we asked. "Using ancestral methods," he replied. "Clean, dry sand absorbs moisture, we change the leather wrappings, and air them out on optimal days." Simplicity and effectiveness tested by centuries.

I have seen fascinating places around the world. One that immediately comes to mind is the Sakya Monastery, the golden library of Tibetan Buddhism. But this place, this environment, the feeling of being on an Indiana Jones adventure lost in the streets of a town devoured by the desert—forgotten and abandoned to its fate—left me profoundly impressed, not only by the treasures I saw but by the diligence of these custodial families.

An Epic Journey Through the Desert from Chinguetti to Ouadane

We split into Land Cruisers that were already waiting for us at the door, loaded with our luggage, and began to leave Chinguetti behind. We made a brief stop at a more modern mosque with the "Minaret d'Abeir" built to commemorate part of the ancient city that was buried by sand.

From there, the calm paths came to an end. The ocean of golden dunes and the skill of the drivers did the rest: brutal accelerations followed by almost free-fall descents down sandy walls. "THIS IS ABSOLUTELY CRAZY!"

And what about the morning tea? Didn't it always happen? Today, we had it at a small oasis on the way to Ouadane called Tanouchert. By this point in the trip, I can confidently say that Bastian is the great positive energy of the group. I've never seen anyone transmit as much positivity.

Leti and Linda also do, always with a smile. The group truly is delightful...

Shall we continue? The landscape was spectacular. Endless dunes changing shape and color, hypnotic patterns. Occasionally, a solitary bush or rocks emerging like islands.

"How do you navigate?" I asked, seeing only identical dunes. "We know these paths perfectly, but if we get lost, we have GPS, the stars, the sun, and the intuition that comes from crossing the desert more times than you have hairs on your head."

The journey continued with its dose of adrenaline amidst jumps and speed, and of course, our place by the window to enjoy it all. There was a moment when I turned off the camera and my phone and simply felt the oxygen and freedom I had been seeking, although I’ll keep those reflections to myself this time.

Eventually, the landscape became rockier as we approached Ouadane. And suddenly, there it was, emerging from the horizon like a vision.

Ouadane: A UNESCO World Heritage Site

Ouadane means "two oases" or "confluence of two rivers" in Arabic, referring to the river of knowledge and the river of wealth. However, as you delve deeper, it appears more like "the Pompeii of Mauritania." Perched atop a rocky hill of ochre stone, it is breathtaking.

Here, we will have a city guide, which is mandatory, but Zach (my roommate) speaks French and will serve as our translator from the get-go... at 40 degrees under the sun at noon, which is quite tough. The ancient mosque from the 13th century, although in ruins, still dominates the area with its minaret.

It is no longer used daily, but there are special prayers at times.

Founded in the 12th century by Berbers, Ouadane was a significant trans-Saharan commercial center (gold, salt, slaves…). It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, and at its peak, it had around 4,000 residents, including scholars and merchants.

Exploring the Ksar of Ouadane

We entered the ksar almost alone, which added an air of mystique. Ouadane has suffered greatly from attacks by the Portuguese, rival tribes, and the worst of all—the abandonment when trade routes changed...

The city is structured in terraces adapted to the hill, with narrow streets and buildings in various states of preservation. Only a few families still inhabit the ancient ksar; most have moved to the new city, but the traditions remain...

I was struck by the hydraulic engineering: a system of cisterns and channels designed to collect and store the scarce rainfall. We also visited the remnants of the ancient market (suq). Here, products from the south (gold, slaves) and the north (fabrics, weapons, books) were traded. The shops now lie empty or serve as storage. Now only their ghosts live here...

Italian and Portuguese traders settled here in the 15th century, and there was even a Jewish quarter, making for a fascinating multicultural blend in the heart of the desert.

We were parched! The cars awaited to take us to a late lunch at a house near the ksar, where we enjoyed a delicious traditional meal. The highlight was the mechoui (slow-roasted lamb) over couscous, fresh salads, and tea. The nap on those carpets in a century-old courtyard was priceless.

Amogjar Pass: A Spectacular (and Forgotten) Scene Along the Way

We left Ouadane around 3:00 PM heading towards Atar, although we had no idea the journey would offer more than just miles of desert. We drove down dusty paths surrounded by rock formations that seemed to guard ancient secrets. Halfway through, we diverted toward the Amogjar Pass, a seldom-traveled route today, but for centuries it was the main way to ascend to the plateau where the legendary Chinguetti stands.

The sensation of following in the footsteps of ancient travelers and caravans was palpable; we could almost hear their distant voices and the tinkling of camels crossing the terrain. And there we stopped...

The Agrour Amogjar area holds a secret: Neolithic rock paintings that cover the stones. What? Where was this in the itinerary? Another of the many surprises of this journey, now in the form of silent witnesses from a distant past, as scenes carved and painted depicted animals, human figures, and symbols whose meanings remain mysterious, shared by a curious little man.

The Neolithic rock paintings of Agrour Amogjar were discovered by Theodor Monod. We spent a while in silence listening to the explanations about elephants, giraffes, and trying to imagine what life was like for those who left their art there thousands of years ago, when this area must have been a lush paradise.

The experience didn’t end there. We climbed to the top of one of the nearby promontories and were greeted with an impressive panoramic view. The desert stretched before us like an endless golden sea, and the sight helped us comprehend the vastness and inhospitable beauty of Mauritania. In that moment, we felt that mixture of smallness and awe that only great landscapes can provoke.

Nearby is also Fort Saganne, built in 1984 as a set for a film of the same name that has become part of the local mythology. We didn’t approach it, but the return journey to Atar was another road spectacle that rivals the "most beautiful route in Mauritania" we traveled yesterday toward the "Oasis of Terjit and the palm grove of Mhaireth".

"We will have a surprise in Atar," Moma said with a hint of mystery before we boarded the vehicles. His concept of "surprise" sparked both curiosity and slight apprehension.

Arrival in Atar and Accommodation at Auberge des Caravanes

We arrived in Atar at night. It is a larger city, serving as the regional capital, but our accommodation, Auberge des Caravanes, is a haven of peace. It blends tradition with modern comforts, which are very welcome after days of adventure.

Its local aesthetic combined with almost luxurious comfort after our journey was refreshing, spacious rooms are always appreciated, but dining in that wonderful courtyard was the best part (the photos don’t do it justice).

Then something happened that I haven't experienced in 30 years of adventures. CRACK! A misstep, a slip at an inopportune moment, and my ankle twisted just hours before facing the Choum Tunnel and preparing for the Iron Train, the most extreme experience of the trip. What pain! Anti-inflammatories, bandages... what would I find in a place like this?

The ancient libraries of Chinguetti, the adrenaline of the dunes, the tranquility of Ouadane had me on cloud nine, but the worry before closing my eyes with that foot elevated brought a lot of uncertainty...

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