Tichitt

Tichitt sits below the Tagant escarpment in eastern Mauritania and is the least visited of the four ksour UNESCO inscribed in 1996, a town built entirely of flat stones laid without mortar in patterns of light and dark, with decorated doorways and triangular niches set into the walls. It was founded around the twelfth century on a caravan route and its population has fallen steadily for decades.

History

Agro-pastoral communities of the Tichitt culture settled the cliffs of Dhar Tichitt around 2000 BC, apparently farming millet from the start, and their stone villages are the oldest surviving archaeological settlements in West Africa and the oldest stone-built settlements south of the Sahara, possibly forerunners of the Ghana Empire; the area was abandoned around 500 BC as conditions grew drier. The town itself was founded in the 12th century as a caravan stop on the route from Oualata to Chinguetti and on to Sijilmasa, and legend says seven towns have been built one on top of another at the site; the Azer dialect of Soninke was spoken here until the early 20th century. Tichitt still had several thousand people in the early 20th century, but desertification and drifting sand have emptied many of its buildings, in 1996 it became a World Heritage Site, and in 1999 floods after torrential rain damaged 80 per cent of the town (Wikipedia, Tichit).

The main sights

• The dry stone walls - flat stones laid without mortar in light and dark patterns.
• The decorated doorways - triangular niches and geometric work in the stonework.
• The escarpment - the Tagant cliff the town stands below.
• The 1996 inscription - one of four ksour listed together by UNESCO.

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 at any time.

Things to know

Getting there means a long desert track with four wheel drive and a guide, and the trip should not be attempted independently. Much of the town is abandoned and collapsing. There are no facilities of any kind.

Nearby

Tidjikja is west, and Oualata is far southeast.

Key facts