Guide to Mauritania
Must See Mauritania
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To see a ghost town in the making, head 865km (520mi) due east of the capital to the isolated ancient town of Tichit, which lies in the centre of a massive fault of rock stretching almost to the Malian border. As a supply town it once had over 5000 people, but you'd be lucky to find 500 now.
Visitors are rewarded with beautiful, decorative mosques - the most ornate in Mauritania. On the way, the landscape is a deadly mix of twisted shrubs, bleached bones, bare trees and sand. Never travel to Tichit without a guide, and visit the police when you arrive. They'll be surprised to see you.