5 new archaeological sites in Mauritania inscribed as ISESCO heritage

Five new Mauritanian archaeological sites have recently been added to the Heritage List of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO).

These sites, the best known of which are those of Azougui, Aoudaghost and Koumbi Saleh, were inscribed at the said meeting of the ISESCO Islamic World Heritage Commission on Monday. in Rabat, said the same source.

The ancient city of Azougui, 500 kilometers north of Nouakchott, was founded by the Almoravid leader Ibn Abubakr Amer in 10^th century. It is materialized today by the mausoleum of Imam Al-Hadrami, author of the famous book ‘Al-ichara vi tadbiril imara’.

As for Aoudaghost (more than 1,200 kilometers southeast of Nouakchott), it was founded around the 5^th century before becoming, in the Middle Ages, an important trading center for Berbers around the empire from Ghana. This kingdom made it its capital after having conquered it in 990 AD.

As for Koumbi Saleh (about 1,200 kilometers south-east of Nouakchott), it was only located in 1913 following archaeological excavations. It was considered the political capital of the Ghana Empire from the fourth century and served as a deposit of salt and gold, in connection with North Africa. In the eleventh century, its population was close to 30,000 inhabitants. The other two sites are two ksours (fortified villages) in the cities of Atar (440 kilometers north of Nouakchott) and Kiffa (600 kilometers east of Nouakchott).