Ouadane

Nouakchott \| Route de l'espoir \| Nouadhibou \| Banc d'Arguin \| Oualata \| Ouadane \| Chinguetti \| Chinguetti-Tidjikja \| Moudjeria \| Rachid \| Tidjikja \| Taoujafet
Ouadane, like its fellow UNESCO listed settlements on the edge of the Sahara was once a major trading point and cultural centre. What UNESCO tends to omit in its enthusiastic descriptions of these 12th century centres of cultural significance, is that the "culture" was almost entirely predicated on slavery and extortion! Now it is almost abandoned and being slowly engulfed by Saharan sand and is only accessible over 120km of horribly corrugated piste from Chinguetti. Less over-hyped than Chinguetti and with less pestering guides and cadeaux-seekers. As heaps of rocks go, it is not bad, but unless you are interested in Islamic texts in the library, it is a bit of an anti-climax with very few authentic buildings left standing. Again the only decent place to stay has been taken over by the gendarmerie. Return to Sahara Itinerary 2008►