21.12.2007Cultural Heritage Endangered in MauritaniaThe Koran on
Gazelle SkinSecular and religious texts have been collected in
private libraries in the caravan city of Chinguetti since the
twelfth century. Now climate change and termites are threatening
this valuable heritage. Marc Engelhardt reports from Mauritania
Texts of great cultural significance are held in private
collections in Chinguetti. Unesco and the Mauritanian government
have been trying to preserve this heritage, with little success
The history of the caravan city of Chinguetti stretches back
more than 700 years. Even today, men wrapped in white caftans
drive herds of camels out of their corrals each night into the
sand dunes before the sun rises. The city is located in the
northeast of the desert state of Mauritania, in the middle of
the Sahara, and, like the rest of the country, now has mobile
phones and cars, which drive along the usually dry wadis.
Otherwise, the city is still steeped in tradition. The first
caravans came to Chinguetti fr