The ancient city of Wadan is located in the Adrar region, in northern Mauritania, in the heart of the Sahara desert, 100 kilometers from its sister Chinguetti. Its history extends back to dozens of centuries before Islam. The city, which has rare archaeological, cultural and natural monuments, has been classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Al-Wadani and the scholar, the student historian Ahmed Weld Atwer Al-Jannah, mentioned in his journey that the origin of the name Wadan is Arabic due to the fact that it includes two valleys, a valley of flag and a valley of palm trees, while others narrated that the word Wadan is a Sanhaji origin of “Awlan” and it means the land of salt or the salt (plural of Malhas). It is the wilderness) to which the beast is sheltered from the slick waters of Yatroun.
History
In the geographical space in which the current Wadan is located, there are treasures and human heritage symbols that have not yet been discovered, and there are traces of ancient cities that tell the story of the struggle of different nationalities and various races, as it is said that the original inhabitants of this region were from the Bafour, Azir, Masen and Sonuki.
In a period of periods, the Musoufa tribes joined them, before the vanguards of the conqueror Uqba bin Nafeh arrived, and after him the Almoravid migration from Morocco to the desert.
The city of Wadane was also captured by the French when they entered at the beginning of the twentieth century to occupy Mauritania.
According to some accounts, the history of the founding of the ancient valleys that Islam entered early (within the first half of the second century AH) dates back to 3 thousand years before Islam, and according to what was indicated by a document written on the skin of a deer, the residents say that the first Friday prayer in this city was On 146 AH.
As for the contemporary city of Wadan, it was established in the year 1152 AD (536 AH) in the midst of ancient cities and villages such as the regions of Bafouriya and Musoufiyeh and on the ruins of ancient Wadan (Tefrel).
This Wadan was founded by the four pilgrims from the “Edo Al-Hajj” tribe (a Berber term meaning the Hajj family), namely Hajj Yaqoub, Hajj Uthman, Hajj Ali, and Hajj Abd al-Rahman al-Saim.
The first building built by the four pilgrims in this city was the ancient mosque and its oldest lighthouse in the country, marking the launch of their knowledge project to spread Islam and the sciences of the Arabic language in those barren desert corners, and immediately after that they began building their homes, and people began to come to them from all sides.
And because the reconstruction of Waddan coincided with the escalation of the Almohad revolution against the Almoravid state, large groups fled to it, so that the city would live centuries later in a scientific and urban prosperity that was unparalleled.
South of the Sahara desert in the ancient village of Wadane, about 600 km northeast of the capital, Nouakchott (Reuters)
Mother of jurisprudence schools in Mauritania
The city of Wadan is described as the oldest university in the desert.
The squares of Wadan witnessed the birth of the first local explanation of the text of Sheikh Khalil in Maliki jurisprudence in Mauritania by its author, Muhammad Walad Ahmad Walad Abi Bakr al-Wadani.
The oldest manuscript Qur’an in the region was in the city of Wadan, and the city’s libraries were rich in manuscripts, and its scholars made great efforts to copy, publish, and teach rare books, and Wadan issued many scholars who dispersed in different cities and spread knowledge.
That is why some believe that most of the jurisprudential evidence in al-Mahadhir (plural of Muhdhara, which is a Qur’anic school) al-Shanqeetiyyah dates back to Wadan, and the jurisprudential schools branched out from it in each of the cities of Walah, Tichit, and Chinguetti (the historical cities of Mauritania).
Street of forty scholars
It is the marvelous street whose courtyard overlooks the homes of 40 scholars, and every house knows its original owner and the date of his death, as it is a symbol of human heritage, and a living witness to the scientific renaissance that this city witnessed.
The path of the street starts from the old mosque at the foot of the mountain to the new mosque at the top of the mountain, and cuts through the middle of the old city. Its length is hundreds of meters, while its width ranges between one and two meters, and in some of its sections it reaches 3 meters.
Due to the large number of scholars and students of knowledge in this street, which connects the two sanctuaries of the old and new mosques, it was not devoid of students who read the Qur’an, studied jurisprudence, or chanted praises about the Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him, and for this reason the residents used to go to him to seek blessings and hear the Qur’an and praises that do not cease, especially on the anniversary of his birth. Peace be upon him.
A corridor inside the ruins of Waddan with high walls on both sides in the desert of Mauritania (Shutterstock)
The economy.. the caravan capital
Wadan's strategic location and its unique security system made it deservedly take the lead as a major and preferred corridor for commercial convoys, which contributed to the creation of a strong economic renaissance within it.
Since the tenth century AH, it has become an active and prosperous commercial center on the road between Morocco and Sudan, especially in the export of salt extracted from Kediat al-Jil (present-day Iron Mountain in Mauritania).
Despite the economic prosperity that Waddan witnessed, there was no great social disparity in it. Rather, solidarity and compassion were part of the social system of this city.
Highlights
Waddan is distinguished from other Mauritanian historical cities by its great wall, built more than 9 centuries ago, with a height of 4 meters and a thickness of 1.5 meters. It circles the ancient city from the foot of the mountain in the east to the top in the west.
The wall was built to protect the city when Waddan was a major station for the thriving caravan trade at the time in the desert, and stones and mud were used in its construction.
The street includes 4 gates, each of which has a special drum that sounds to signal its opening, and the largest of them is the “Fum al-Mabrouk” gate, through which convoys from the East entered from the Hijaz, the Levant, Egypt, Tunisia and Sudan, and there are secret doors that are used in case of necessity.
Inside the wall is the fortified well, which aims to secure water in the desert at the time of exposure to the enemy’s siege. It has a special and unique system, as it is located between two houses called the watch houses, and between them are pavilions, deceptive twisted roads and fake wells, and only a few people reach it and it is used only in case of necessity.
And in the ancient city, in the middle of the Forty Scholars Street, is the tomb of the great traveler and scholar, the student Ahmed Weld Atweer, the most famous scholar of the city of Wadan, and a great symbol of its symbols and flags.
His shrine is a major destination for visitors to seek blessings and exploration, as his tomb is located inside his house, which he used to live in, near the ancient mosque in the Old City.
The student Ahmed Ould Atwer has a famous trip to Hajj in 1245 AD, which he wrote down in his book “The Journey of Manna and Manna” that took 5 years, in which he met the Sultan of Morocco and passed through it upon his return in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Algeria, and today it is an important source of history and literature in the country of Chinguetti and others.
Historic door openings inside the Waddan ruins in the desert of Mauritania (Shutterstock)
Wadan Libraries
Libraries in Wadan suffered a lot of loss due to the deterioration of their buildings, high humidity and the spread of harmful pests after the population abandoned their city in the last century with the cessation of caravan trade and the flourishing of maritime trade.
Libraries in Wadan are mostly owned by well-known historical families in the city, who undertake their affairs and supervise their maintenance. Among these libraries are:
Al-Mohammed Al-Salek Library.
Al-Kitab Library.
Al Ahmed Sharif Library.
Al Eid Library.
There are rare manuscripts in each of these libraries, some of which date back to 8 centuries.