The Banc d'Arguin National Park is located on the Atlantic desert-coast of Mauritania, midway between the capital Nouakchott in the south and Nouadhibou in the north. Some 1,000 Imraguen fishermen carry on the tens of thousands of years of documented human population. Earlier, due to a more humid climate, population was higher and remnants from the Almoravide [Moroccan dynasty] civilisation are found on a number of the park's islands.
These four ancient cities constitute exceptional examples of settlements built to serve the important trade routes of the Sahara Desert for many centuries. Houses with patios crowd along narrow streets around a mosque with a square minaret. They illustrate a traditional way of life centred on the nomadic culture of the people of the western Sahara.
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Last updated: June 13, 2023