Tichit

Tichit
—  Commune and town  —
Tichit
Location in Mauritania
Coordinates:
Country Mauritania
Region Tagant
Official name: Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata
Type: Cultural
Criteria: iii, iv, v
Designated: 1996 (20th session)
Reference #: 750
State Party:  Mauritania
Region: Arab States

Tichit (or Tichitt) (Arabic: تيشيت‎) is a partly abandoned village at the foot of the Tagant Plateau in central southern Mauritania that is known for its vernacular architecture. The main agriculture in Tichit is date farming, and the village is also home to a small museum.

Contents

Archaeological significance

The Dhar Tichitt region forms part of a long sandstone cliff formation that define the northern limit of the Hodh depression. The area was settled by late stone age agropastoral communities around 2000 BC.[1] The settlements were generally situated on the cliffs and included stone building. The area was abandoned around 500 BC probably because of the onset of more arid conditions. Hundreds of rock art images have been discovered, depicting various animals and hunting scenes.[2] Archaeologists such as P.J. Munson, Augustin F.C. Holl, and S. Amblard have provided some indication that millet was farmed seasonally as early as 2000 BC.

It is a World Heritage Site.

Notes

  1. ^ Holl 2009.
  2. ^ Holl 2002.

References

Further reading

External links