In Chinguetti, Mauritania, a historic desert town once known as a centre of Islamic scholarship, a local librarian is working to preserve rare manuscripts dating back centuries.
The feature, published on April 27, 2026, highlights Muhammad Gholam el-Habot, who cares for fragile Islamic texts passed down through generations in his family library. Chinguetti, located in the Adrar region of northern Mauritania, was a major hub of learning between the 13th and 17th centuries, attracting scholars from across the Muslim world.
El-Habot is among the few remaining custodians of these collections, which include works on religion, science, and astronomy. Many of the manuscripts are now at risk due to environmental damage, with desertification and extreme weather threatening their survival.
As residents have gradually left the town in search of better opportunities, only a handful of families remain to safeguard its cultural heritage. El-Habot says preserving the texts is both a personal duty and a responsibility to future generations, calling them a vital part of global history.
