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From Atar to Choum, a distance of 120 KM, we took the tarred road to Ksar Torchane, once a fortified oasis. After a few KM the road changed in a piste. During the descent to the lower plateau we had spectacular views at the surrounding landscape with flat mountains.Down we drove first through a sandy plain with umbrella-shaped trees and a plain full of gravel and stones. The tracks were easy to follow, we even saw some other cars.
Atar ( 18.000 inhabitants) in de Adrar Region is the major market centre in the north of Mauritania. After so many days in the desert with only a few smaller sleepy villages, Atar looked rather lively to us. Especially the area round the market was busy. At one side of the market is the smaller old section of the town with narrow streets. At the other side is the larger new section with wider and rectangular streets.In Atar we did our shopping for the next part of our desert trip, we bought diesel, we visited one of the two internetcafés (opening hours 6pm till 12pm) and also a welding atelier to fix something of one of the cars.
En route from Chinquetti to Atar we passed through the Adrar Plateau. Coming from the east and descending into the plains, we had breathtaking panoramic views at the lunar-like landscape. Also the gorges, leading into the plateau, are of a rough beauty.When we took this route at the end of 2004 there was a new tarred road leading over the New Pass. It was not possible to take the old scenic road more north, according to our guide.
On the way between Chinquetti and Atar you can find rock paintings (peintures rupestres) at the north side of the road.The paintings are not very clear. The cows are still easily to recognize, but it´s more difficult to recognize a griaffe and dancing people. The guards of the archaeological site can show you the paintings. They have also a book with the paintings and some explanation.
Chinquetti is with Ouadane, Tichitt and Oualata one of the four ancient ksour, which are on the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These ksour are medieval towns, founded in the 11th and 12th centuries, and served originally the caravans crossing the Sahara. These ksour became not only important trading centres, but also religious centres of the Islamic culture and thought. In the 17th-19th century Chinquetti reached its zenith because of its religious and scholarly eminence, supporting its trading role. French troops built a fort at the northern edge of the town, leading to expansion of the town in this direction. First the abandonment of the traditional caravantrade, regional conflicts, drought and later the attraction of the mining in the northern Zouerat region and the Sahara war of the seventies caused and increased the depopulation of Chinquetti. Nowadays Chinquetti has a...
In the Middle Ages Chinquetti became an important religious and scholarly centre fro islamic culture and thoughts. Nowadays there are In Chinquetti still a few ancient libraries, housing more than thousand ancient manuscripts, some dating from the 13th century and concerning different scientific discplines. The dry desert climate had preserved them for centuries.
The ancient ksar starts around the central mosque. The old mosques in the ksour are built entirely of the local materials and haven't any from of decoration. These old mosques have a square minaret and a single square or rectangular prayerhall with a vaulted roof carried on thick columns.Chinquetti is the seventh holy city of the Islam. In former centuries it was an important gathering point for pelgrims en route for Mecca. The old mosque of Chinquetti is the main attracction of the town, but off-limits for non-muslims. The image of this mosque you can find also on the Mauritanian banknotes.
In the old town of Chinquetti around the mosque you will find, like in all ksour, houses built around inner coourtyards. At the side of the narrow twisting lanes the houses have walls with low doorways as their only openings.The town and houses illustrate the traditional way of life of the nomadic culture of the people of the western Sahara. Most houses are organized to suit the requirements of nomadic people, who used them as no more than storehouses for much of the year. After the caravans disappeared most houses in the old town are abandoned and ruined.
Tidjikja has a lifely market. Also in the alleyways around the market it was busy. We saw people selling their products, like vegetables.According to some resources slavery still exist in Tidjikja in spite the government stopped it. White Mauritanians should still hold black Mauritanians as slaves. We were too short in Tidjikja to learn more about it. We saw a lot of black Mauritanians around in the market alleyways, but we had no idea if they had something to do with slavery.The next part of our trip, the incredible desertcrossing from Tidjikja to Chinquetti is described in the ''off the beaten path'' tips.
Tidjikja is surrounded by sanddunes, threatening the exixstance of the town. The town is divided by a riverbed, which is seldom carrying water.Baba, our guide showed us the old town. Many of the houses in the old town are falling apart, many are vacant and easily be visited. The houses are built of dressed stone, kept together by clay. The flats roofs, constructed of palmtrunks, are serving as terraces with gargoyles to keep the water from stagnating. Some houses are decorated with geomatrical designs.
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