Deep in the Sahara desert, in the North West African nation of Mauritania lies the oasis city of Chinguetti. Along with commerce, manuscripts from the Arab world were traded here, making Chinguetti a centre of learning. Cultural and social development took place around this trade, most significantly a large collection of manuscripts originating from Mauritania and across the Middle East. Today the trans-Saharan trade routes of old are no more, and the desert is doing its best to reclaim this city. "Chinguetti has many books, many manuscripts, the most important thing about these books is the most religious part of the manuscripts," he explains.

Source: The North Africa Journal January 09, 2022 13:55 UTC