Chinguetti, Mauritania—A centuries-old city, once a hub for poets, scholars, and theologians, now faces a relentless threat. The desert’s creeping sands are inching closer to its historic heart.
Chinguetti’s 8th-century core, home to priceless manuscripts, has long been buried by the shifting sands of the Sahara. Today, the dunes are swallowing the city’s streets and homes, leaving residents in despair.
As climate change accelerates, sandstorms have become more frequent, covering the city in feet of shifting sand. Despite tree-planting projects, these efforts have yet to halt the advancing desert.
Chinguetti is one of four UNESCO World Heritage sites in Mauritania, a nation where only 0.5% of land is farmable. Yet, the city is being consumed by the expanding Sahara, as sand seas once dormant are now reactivated.
“The city is surrounded by an ocean of sand,” said community leader Melainine Med El Wely. “There are places I once walked that are now buried under dunes.”
Locals recall heartbreaking memories. A camel once wandered into a neighborhood, plunging into a home buried under sand. Such incidents are becoming increasingly common.
Experts like Andreas Baas, an earth scientist from King’s College London, warn that desertification is happening at an alarming rate. The world’s dry lands are growing, and Chinguetti is feeling the effects firsthand.
Once-vibrant trees and crops have withered, and water sources are running dry. Date farmers like Salima Ould Salem struggle to irrigate their crops, watching as neighbors abandon their homes, leaving the community vulnerable.
Despite the hardships, Salem remains. “If I leave, my place will disappear,” he said, determined to resist the desert’s encroachment.
As Chinguetti faces this existential crisis, experts agree that planting more trees is crucial to slowing the sands and preserving the city’s rich heritage.
