Photo Gallery

The little girl Lemine Oul Boulabatt from Oualata in Mauritania. - Mauritania - 1970

Oualata is an oasis town in the administrative region of Hodh Ech Chargui in south-eastern Mauritania. It was one of the most important trading centres of the caravans (gold and salt trade), but also the meeting point of pilgrims to Mecca. - Mauritania - 1970

The house door of Sassoul Moulaye in Oualata. Here the masonry is not made of stones, but of unbaked mud bricks dried in the sun and joined together with an earth mortar. Remarkably solid, as long as it does not rain, these buildings have the disadvantage of dissolving in water with astonishing rapidity, which is why constant attention must be paid to the condition of the roof. - Mauritania - 1970

This gate in Oualata (Ouig Bir) impresses with its monumental appearance. But stylistically it is already strongly influenced by nearby Mali, the home of such rich and diverse Sudanese art. Here, the masonry is no longer made of stones, but of unbaked mud bricks dried in the sun and joined together with an earth mortar. Remarkably solid, as long as it does not rain, these buildings have the disadvantage of dissolving in water with astonishing rapidity, which is why constant attention must be paid to the condition of the roof. - Mauritania - 1970

In front of the house of Sassoul Moulaye in Oualata. Here the masonry is not made of stones, but of unbaked mud bricks dried in the sun and joined together with an earth mortar. Remarkably solid, as long as it does not rain, these buildings have the disadvantage of dissolving in water with astonishing rapidity, which is why constant attention must be paid to the condition of the roof. - Mauritania - 1970

The interior decoration of the houses of Oualata (Mauritania) is linked to the brilliant doctrine that flourished in this town between the 16th and 18th centuries and attracted many foreigners. It deeply shaped the local, very puritanical mores, and one of the social consequences was the confinement of women. Struggling with boredom, they came up with the idea of richly decorating the interior of the house. The paintings were applied to the whitewashed walls with a finger. Here, the artist Fafa Mint Barka at work. - Mauritania - 1970

The interior decoration of the houses of Oualata (Mauritania), here the house of the prefect, is linked to the brilliant doctrine that flourished in this town between the 16th and 18th centuries and attracted many foreigners. It deeply shaped the local, very puritanical mores, and one of the social consequences was the confinement of women. Struggling with boredom, they came up with the idea of richly decorating the interior of the house. The painting was applied to the whitewashed walls with a finger. - Mauritania - 1970