Mauritania is a country dominated by the Sahara Desert. Throughout history, the Sahara has been a barrier that nomadic traders have had to cross when traveling between West Africa and the Mediterranean. In the 11th and 12th centuries, prosperous towns, known as ksour, arose in the desert regions of Mauritania in order to facilitate these caravans. Four of these towns are listed as a joint UNESCO World Heritage Site today, namely Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata. I visited Chinguetti and Ouadane a few months ago and even though the ksour today are only shadows of their former glory, I could see how well their stone architecture and urban planning is adapted to the desert environment. I could also see that these vernacular techniques can and do still play a role in modern buildings.
Medieval caravan towns of the Sahara Desert
The four UNESCO-listed ksour are the oldest continuously inhabited towns in Mauritania. These towns evolved mainly between the 12th and 16th centuries and the urban fabric has changed little since then. The ksour supported the nomadic culture of the Sahara, providing a necessary stop for caravans crossing the desert. In addition to trade caravans, religious caravans with pilgrims and scholars were also common. Chinguetti in particular became an important Islamic center whose legacy remains in historic libraries scattered throughout the old town.
The desert climate is harsh with little or no natural shelter. In order to survive, people need to create their own shelter, and the ksour of Mauritania are elegantly adapted to the desert climate. The streets are narrow with houses closely packed together, and in this way houses protect each other from the sun, wind and dust of the Sahara.
Likewise, the houses themselves provide protection from the climate. Nomadic traders would use light tents during their journey across the Sahara as these were easy to carry, but heavier materials provide longer-lasting structures and better protection for more permanent settlements. In Mauritania’s ksour, massive stone walls kept indoor temperatures relatively stable and comfortable during the hot days and cool nights of the desert. The houses had little or no windows and were closed towards the streets in order to provide privacy and protection from dust and heat. Instead, the houses would open towards interior courtyards.
Over the centuries, Mauritania’s ksour developed a characteristic stone architecture with styles varying from town to town. Stones came to be the main building material because they are plentiful in the desert, while wood for example is hard to come by. The stones were fitted well together so that little or no clay mortar was needed. Most buildings were then plastered with clay in order to fill gaps between the stones and to protect the structure.
Around the 16th and 17th centuries, the ksour started to decline. Today, only small villages remain that continuously fight for existence. The population of Chinguetti today is only a fraction of what it used to be – and yet Chinguetti is still more alive than more remote Ouadane, where the old town is largely in ruins. The nomadic traders are gone and they have been replaced by tourists, but the last few years have seen a big drop in tourism in Mauritania which makes it difficult for the locals to earn a living. Desertification and expanding sand dunes are another major challenge.
21st century stone architecture in Mauritania
As the old part of Chinguetti is getting deserted, some new buildings are still being built in the new part of town. Some new houses have stones facades, but the main structural material is concrete blocks, with stones being only decorative additions. Traditional stone architecture techniques haven’t completely disappeared but they are mainly used for small houses. One bigger project that has used these traditional techniques is La Gueïla guest house where I stayed during my visit. The guest house is a beautiful example of what can be done with vernacular techniques in the 21st century, and the French owner, Sylvette, is happy to share the story of the building with her guests.
From the start of the guest house project, it was clear that traditional techniques should be used not only for decoration but also for the structure of the building. The design was made by a French architect who drew inspiration from traditional buildings of Mauritania’s ksour. While there are still many who know how to build with stones in the traditional way, most buildings built this way are small and built without any blueprints. Hence, it was challenging to find someone skilled enough who could also read the architect’s blueprints. Eventually La Gueïla found and hired an old mason who could do the job.
The main materials used in the guest house are stones and clay mortar. Both the clay and the stones were extracted from under the desert sand dunes. In some places, stones are more easily accessible and close to the ground, as was the case at La Gueïla. The fact that stones are more easily accessible than clay might be one reason why stone architecture traditionally came to be the norm in the ksour. According to La Gueïla’s owner, the local clay in Chinguetti is also not good for building only with clay (eg. in the form of adobe bricks), which would be another explanation for the emergence of the stone architecture.
The stones were shaped at the site, and different shapes and sizes were alternated to create more variety. Traditionally, stone houses in Mauritania were plastered with clay, and the plaster would seal and protect the stone structure. At La Gueïla, it was desired that the stone structure would be left visible, and for this reason the mortar has been made stronger by mixing the clay and sand with some cement.
Using stones is cheaper than building with concrete blocks, but it takes more time, which is one reason why most Mauritanians today prefer concrete blocks. Size has become more important than material, and most people would rather build big houses fast than safe money by building with local materials. In this context, bigger projects like La Gueïla play a role in raising the status of vernacular materials, showing that even modern buildings can be built with traditional and local materials. Likewise, projects like this are needed to make sure the knowledge and skills are passed on to the next generation, so that the architecture of Mauritania can continue to evolve in a direction based on local conditions and history.
