Mauritania

Mauritania bridges Arab-Berber and Sahelian worlds, with desert caravan towns, griot music and oasis date culture.

Music & dance Building & habitat Nature & herbalism Crafts Language & oral

Knowledge in this place

Moorish griot music

Moorish griot music

Hereditary griots play the ardin harp and tidinit lute to sing praise and history.

Saharan ksour towns

Saharan ksour towns

Stone-built towns like Chinguetti preserve mosques, libraries and caravan know-how.

Building & habitat

Guetna date harvest

Guetna date harvest

Oasis families gather for the guetna season to harvest and share dates.

Nature & herbalism

Moorish silver jewellery

Moorish silver jewellery

Smiths craft engraved silver pendants and amulets worn by Moorish women.

Hassaniya poetry

Hassaniya poetry

Hassaniya Arabic carries a rich tradition of recited and improvised desert poetry.

Language & oral