Mauritania

In the sandy desert city Chinguetti some of Islam’s oldest texts hide.

Chinguetti was from the 13th century on a busy center of several trade routes. Its many libraries named it “the city of Libraries” and pilgrims to Mecca would stop and read.

Despite the Saharan sand taking over this West-African outpost, library guardians remain,  protecting around 6,000 rare manuscripts, including some of the oldest Koran texts.

Today, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Silent in the sand.