Tegdaoust (Aoudaghost) East Kasbah
Tegdaoust East · Aoudaghost East · Aoudaghost East Kasbah
Medieval Ghana Empire / Almoravid (9th–13th c. CE)·Soninke (Ghana Empire) / Sanhaja·🇲🇷 Hodh el Gharbi, Tegdaoust (Aoudaghost, Ghana Empire south capital) east sector 300 m east of citadel, Mauritania
About
About Tegdaoust (Aoudaghost) East Kasbah
East artisanal kasbah of Ghana Empire's southern metropolis (Aoudaghost), Tegdaoust East shows 6 ha dense quarter with copper workshops (crucible slag, 50 kg ingot mould), glass bead kiln (drawn beads, 10 tonnes waste), mosque annex (3rd mosque, 15×12 m, Sanhaja), and reservoir cistern (12×8×6 m) with foggara. Sanhaja Berber to Soninke sequence 10th–13th c. Al-Bakri description. Parcel-gilt glass imports.
Why it mattersGhana Empire urban production zone — overturns entrepôt-only view of Sahel empire.
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Workshop dating vs mosque
- 02Foggara origin
Theories
- 01Devisse Tegdaoust
- 02Robert S. Aoudaghost
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- Ghana Empire south capital 9th c.; kasbah 10th–13th c.
- Period
- Medieval Ghana Empire / Almoravid (9th–13th c. CE)
- Culture
- Soninke (Ghana Empire) / Sanhaja
- Builders
- Ghana Empire / Almoravid (Aoudaghost craftsmen)
- Purpose
- Artisan kasbah demonstrating Ghana Empire interior production not just entrepôt
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
9th c. CE
Aoudaghost Ghana capital founded
11th c. CE
Almoravid conquest 1055 (Al Bakri)
12th–13th c. CE
Copper-bead industrial peak in east kasbah
On the ground
Structures & features
17.4210° N · 10.4120° E · 290 m · 2 mapped features
Copper Workshop Row
workshop6 crucible workshops with slag, ingot mould, tuyère scatter
17.4220° N · 10.4150° EGlass Bead Kiln and Cistern
kilnDrawn-bead kiln 8×5 m and 12×8 m foggara-fed cistern
17.4200° N · 10.4110° E