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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Sam Metz

‘Desertification is our destiny’: How this ancient African city is being buried under Sahara sand

A local worker carries part of a palm tree which is used to cover houses in Chinguetti, Mauritania on 4 February 2025 - (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

The ancient Saharan city of Chinguetti, a historical hub for poets, scholars, and theologians and home to thousands of manuscripts, is facing an existential threat from the encroaching desert.

Shifting sands, a constant presence, have already buried the city’s 8th-century heart and are now steadily advancing on its current borders. Residents, seemingly resigned to their fate, speak of the desert as an inevitable destiny.

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