Desert libraries and a stone mosque in the dunes
Chinguetti was founded as a stop on trans-Saharan trade routes and became a centre of Islamic learning and a gathering point for pilgrims heading to Mecca. Its old town of dry-stone houses is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, together with the other ancient ksour of Ouadane, Tichitt and Oualata. The mosque's square stone minaret is one of the oldest still in use in the region. Families keep private libraries of manuscripts that visitors can see, and sand dunes press up against the town.