Ouadane (Wadan)
Ouadane · Wadan · Wadane
Medieval to Early Modern (12th–19th c)·Berber (Sanhaja) / Arab / Almoravid·🇲🇷 Adrar Region, Mauritania
About
About Ouadane (Wadan)
Twin Ksour (fortified oases) 12th c Almoravid foundation on Adrar plateau scarp commanding Dhar Chinguetti caravan route to Timbuktu, Ouadane old ksar 200×400 m destroyed but new ksar retains 13-m mosque minaret, agglutinated ksour houses, onag oasis palmery and rock-cut cisterns 300 m long with Middle palaeo? Salt-niche. Portuguese fort 1487 Agadir ruin. Part of UNESCO Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt, Oualata. Tour harrah. S.
Why it mattersBest preserved single of the four ancient ksour documenting trans-Saharan caravan urbanism UNESCO 1996.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Portuguese fort position under dunes
- 02Exact Dhar routeway vs Wadan oldksar abandonment
Theories
- 01Ksar agro-caravan oasis model (Robert-Chaleix)
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Old ksar founded by Berber Id Aich 12th c; zenith 13th–15th c caravan
- Period
- Medieval to Early Modern (12th–19th c)
- Culture
- Berber (Sanhaja) / Arab / Almoravid
- Builders
- Id Aich Berber
- Purpose
- Salt and date caravan waypoint on Sijilmasa–Timbuktu road
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
Old ksar founded by Berber Id Aich 12th c; zenith 13th–15th c caravan
Initial construction
c. 1550 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
20.9300° N · 11.6217° W · 400 m · 1 mapped feature
Great Mosque Minaret (Old Ksar)
minaret13-m sandstone minaret 12th c
20.9310° N · 11.6210° W
Gallery