Ksar el Barka

Ksar el Barka in the Tagant was a substantial caravan town founded in the seventeenth century, built of dry stone with a mosque and several hundred houses, and the droughts of the twentieth century emptied it entirely. The walls stand roofless across a wide area with the mosque still the tallest thing in it. Nobody lives there now. It is one of the largest abandoned settlements in the Sahara.

History

The Fula Jaawbe clan built their capital, Laaci-Wendu, on the shores of Lake Gabou, where it commanded the passes through the Assaba mountains, and this town later became Ksar el Barka. In 1690 the Kounta, moving from Ouadane as the desert spread, came to the area (Wikipedia, Ksar el Barka).

What you'll find

• The abandoned town - several hundred stone houses standing roofless.
• The mosque - the tallest surviving structure in the settlement.
• The dry stone building - walls laid without mortar in the regional manner.
• The scale - one of the larger abandoned settlements in the Sahara.

When to go

November to February is the cool season and the only sensible window. Summer heat in the Tagant is extreme. Sand can close the track.

Practical notes

Access needs four wheel drive and a guide and should not be attempted alone. The walls are unstable and entering buildings is unwise. There are no facilities and no water anywhere near.

Nearby

Tidjikja is nearby, and Tichitt is east.

Key facts