Best Tourist Places to Visit in Chinguitti, Mauritania, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Chinguitti, Mauritania, Africa

Chinguitti, also spelled Chinguetti, is a medieval trading centre lying on the Adrar Plateau in the northern part of Mauritania, between 20°27′ N latitude and 12°21′ W longitude. Being a historic city, Chinguitti draws thousands of tourists year round, mainly for both its ruined and well preserved historic structures, ancient libraries and scenic environment, of which the highlighted one is the Friday Mosque of Chinguetti. The old part of Chinguitti also holds five prominent manuscript libraries with typical and valuable scientific and Qur’anic texts. Chinguitti is situated around 520 km northeast of Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania and around 80 km east of Atar.

History of Chinguitti:

According to the local belief, Chinguitti originated in the year 777 and became a trading point for Sanhadja Confederation in the 11th century. After nearly two long centuries, Chinguitti was re-founded as a centre of trans-Saharan trade route in the 13th century and some building from this period still can be seen in the site.

How to reach Chinguitti?

There is no major airport in and around Chinguitti, although there, flights are not scheduled. So international visitors can take suggestion of reaching Nouakchott International Airport first and afterwards, they can take an airport taxi or pre-booked private transfer to get Chinguitti.

As the city is small, visitors are not needed to use private vehicle to get around Chinguitti, if they wish, can use vehicle what they used private transfer to travel Chinguitti from Nouakchott.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Chinguitti:

Culturally, Chinguitti is the capital of Mauritania, housing the national symbol of the country, the Friday Mosque of Chinguetti. The city also houses five manuscript libraries.

Chinguitti has no standard food corners and shops, so it would be better if one bring essentials before leaving Atar or any city where they start journey.

Things to do in Chinguitti:

Visiting archeological sites
Walking

Tourist Attractions in Chinguitti:

The Friday Mosque of Chinguitti:

The Friday Mosque of Chinguetti is a landmark historic mosque, dating from the 13^th century. It is considered as one of the symbols of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania as its magnificent minaret holds a dignity of the 2^nd oldest in continuous operation among Muslim countries.

Islamic library:

There are five famous manuscript libraries in the historic part of Chinguitti that are filled with scientific and Qur’anic texts, of which most are from the later Middle Ages.

Atar:

Atar is a town, situated around 80 km west of Chinguitti, housing a range of attractions, including the Atar Museum, Atar Mosque and prominent traditional market with a wide selection of colorful locally produced products.

Ouadane:

Ouadane is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located on the southern tip of the Adrar Plateau, around 120 km northeast of Chinguitti. Including the symbolic Richat Structure, Ouadane houses many historic buildings having centuries of history.

Other places of interests in and around Chinguitti are as follows:

Terjit
Banc d’Arguin National Park
Atar Market
Beaches in Nouakchott
National Museum of Mauritania
University of Nouakchott
Nouakchott Silver Market
Stade Olympique
Nouakchott Museum
National Library in Nouakchott
Cathedral of St. Joseph
Franco-Mauritanian Cultural Center

Best time to visit Chinguitti:

Chinguitti generally experiences a hot climate year round and the ideal time to visit Chinguitti is from January to May.

Accommodation Options in Chinguitti:

Finding standard hotels at Chinguitti is a great task for visitors, it is advised for visitors to consider hotels at nearby Atar or the national capital, Nouakchott for healthy hospitality services. Some modernized hotels in Chinguitti, Atar (80 km) and Nouakchott (520 km) are as follows: