Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Named after the Moors, Mauritania is the least densely populated country in the world. Nearly twice the size of France, it is bordered by Senegal on the South, Mali on the East, Algeria on the Northeast, Morocco on the Northwest and the Atlantic Ocean on the West. Two thirds of the country is rock and sand, part of the Sahara desert, a land of dunes, high plateaus, deep dry river beds or wadis and rocky terrain. In the south there is the Sahel, the grass covered border of the Sarah, and the Senegal river which forms the border with the country of that name.
The photographs in the book were taken in the spring of 1999 on a expedition to regions north and west of the capital. The route commenced northwest from Nouakchott to the Adar region, then south finally returning south to the capital. The initial photographs are of the Malichiadans dunes, a long series of sand dunes which lead to the copper mining town of Akiouit where one of Mauritania's two paved roads ends. To the northwest lies the plain of Amsaga, a sandy hilly region with occasional nomad camps. Beyond is the Adrar Plateau and the ruins of Azougui, the initial capital of the Almoravide empire in 1000 A.D.
The largest town in Adar is Atar, a trading center founded in the 17th Century and a former stopping place on the east-west Sahara trade route. Atar has one story mud-brick or concrete block buildings with rows of shops that sell a variety of goods, including Moorish handicrafts and artifacts. South of Atar lies the rocky plateau of Herat and the oasis of M'heiret with its wadi lined with date palms. A day further south by vehicle lies Choinquetti, founded in the 13th Century, the so called "7th Mecca," a venerated city that contains a Koranic library with rare and ancient prized manuscripts.
South of the Adar Massif over the Imougavene and Niakane Mountains are the dunes of Ain Safra and the northern edge of El Khatt, part of the Tanezrouft that begin in Algeria. Beyond is the town of Rachid, founded in the 18th Century; it overlooks the wadi of Rachid across from the ruins of the former town of the same name. The latter was once a citadel of the Kounta Bedouin, from which brigands attacked caravans coming south from Adrar. Further on are the towns of El Barka, Nbeika, Cangarafa and Boutilimit. Mauritania is a sea of artifacts from ancient times and neolithic rock paintings are found at Afernane and elsewhere.
The photographs are arranged roughly in the order described above. Most of the photographs of people are of nomadic Moors who visited our camps. Some are from the small desert towns mentioned above, while the shots of fishermen were taken in Nouakchott.
