The four ancient cities in Mauritania were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

The sites meet the cultural criteria that they:

– bear a unique or at least exceptional testimony to a cultural tradition or to a civilization which is living or which has disappeared;

– are an outstanding example of a type of building, architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates (a) significant stage(s) in human history;

– are an outstanding example of a traditional human settlement, land-use, or sea-use which is representative of a culture (or cultures), or human interaction with the environment especially when it has become vulnerable under the impact of irreversible change;


Brief description:
Founded in the 11th and 12th centuries to serve the caravans crossing the Sahara, these trading and religious centers became focal points of Islamic culture. They have managed to preserve an urban fabric that evolved between the 12th and 16th centuries. Typically, houses with patios crowd along narrow streets around a mosque with a square minaret. They illustrate a traditional way of life centered on the nomadic culture of the people of the Western Sahara.

Source: UNESCO World Heritage http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/750