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Friday, February 10, 2012

Ouadane - ancient walls

Ouadane was founded in 1141. Its name in Arabic means "junction of two riverbeds." One riverbed was called the "riverbed of dates" (the kind you eat) and the other the "riverbed of science." Largely abandoned after the 18th century, not much remains today. Below, the remains of the original mosque.


After visiting the ruins of the ancient city, we stopped in to see a collection of holy texts. It turns out that the collector of old books collects just about everything.


Ouadane is not a ghost town - yet. And there are reminders of the modern world.



Tomorrow - the crazy drive across the desert from Ouadane to Chinguetti

2 comments:

  1. Mauritanian Adrar is an important cultural region of Maghrib with ties to Morocco.

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