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Oualata

Neighborhood·MauritaniaMentioned by BBC Travel
Oualata
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
“Oualata or Walāta is a small oasis town in southeast Mauritania, located at the eastern end of the Aoukar basin. Oualata was important as a caravan city in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries as the southern terminus of a trans-Saharan trade route and now it is a World Heritage Site.”
— Wikipedia
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In the coverage1 story

BBC TravelJul 12

Mauritania: A rare glimpse at one of the world's least-visited nations

Located almost entirely in the Sahara, Mauritania is home to centuries-old cities, desert oases and a coastal spectacle so vast you can see it from space.

Historic caravan town; famous for red-earth architecture

15 things in this story
  • NouadhibouNeighborhoodCountry's second-largest city and most important fishing port
  • NouakchottNeighborhoodCoastal capital city; one-third of Mauritania's population lives here
  • Beila dromedary camel marketMarketSecond largest in Africa; popular day trip from Nouakchott
  • Route de l'EspoirTrailNation's main east-west artery; reaches Néma
  • NémaNeighborhoodCity in the desert; gateway to Oualata
  • SaharaNeighborhoodIn a remote corner of Sudan, a little-known site holds clues to the prehistoric climate change that created the world’s…
  • Canary CurrentPlacePulls nutrient-rich waters up along the coast
  • OualataNeighborhoodHistoric caravan town; famous for red-earth architecture
  • ChinguettiNeighborhoodUnesco World Heritage site; one of Africa's historic caravan cities
  • Adrar plateauNeighborhoodReached via Ebnou pass; cooler temperatures
  • ancient mosque of ChinguettiSightSecond oldest in continuous use in the Muslim world
  • librariesMuseumPreserve ancient manuscripts and books on astronomy, geometry, medicine
  • TerjitSightDesert oasis known for palm trees; 45km south of Atar
  • AtarNeighborhoodRegional capital near Terjit oasis
  • Ebnou passSight
Read the full piece at BBC Travel →
More neighborhoods in MauritaniaNouadhibouNouakchottNémaSaharaChinguettiAdrar plateau
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