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Oualata, Mauritania 2005 Oualata was once a thriving city, a center for Islamic learning and an important stop on the caravans of the silk road. Now it is withering. A few families live in the abandoned city which lies on a … Continue reading
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Sahara Desert, somewhere in Mauritania 2005 Our small caravan of 4×4’s stopped in a small settlement in the empty sands of Mauritania. We tourists crawled into a straw hut to escape the heat. We drank warm Coca Colas, which we bought from these … Continue reading
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Somewhere in the Mauritanian Sahara 2005 I left the shade of the acacia tree where we were eating lunch and ran toward these men who were herding camels through the desert. They rode double. The man in front sitting in … Continue reading
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Mali 2005 I’m not really sure where we were. No one knew but it was either Mali or Mauritania. The women spoke Hasaniya which is a dialect of Arabic. No matter that we were in the middle of nowhere, the … Continue reading
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Sahara Desert…somewhere near the border between Mali and Mauritania 2005 We camped near the family of these girls: several Touareg women and a multitude of children left alone in the desert near a water source. The skin of the women … Continue reading
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Chinguetti, Mauritania 2005 An ancient manuscript…perhaps a thousand years old…is shown to us by its owner. He was trying his best to take care of his patrimony, asking us not to touch. Believe it or not, one man in the … Continue reading
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Somewhere in the Sahara Desert… 2005 Empty. Sand and sky. Now and then a soft dune as you see here. Sometimes a dune the size of a mountain. It could get boring, sitting in the car mile after mile, drinking water … Continue reading
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Chinguetti, Mauritania 2005 We waited in the shade for our mechanic to find parts for one of the old Toyotas. The next week we would be alone in the Sahara. Chinguetti was a place to stock up on food, water, … Continue reading
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Tchit, Mauritania, 2005 The remote village of Tchit, an ancient stone citadel built in the 12th century, is occupied by perhaps a few hundred souls who live out their lives in isolation from the rest of the world. Yet, despite the small population, … Continue reading
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Oualata, Mauritania 2005 The English have a phrase: “house proud”. The people of Oualata seem to be house proud. Not only do the Moorish women decorate the interior with scrolling filigree designs but the exteriors have complex geometric medallions, silver and … Continue reading
