Guardians of the Sahara: A Mauritanian Family Preserves Centuries of Manuscripts

Chinguetti, Mauritania
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Oct. 24, 2026, 5:00 a.m. ET

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2 min read

In the cool, dry air of a stone library nestled in the remote desert city of Chinguetti, Mohammed Abdullah Ould Gholam Habott reflects on his family’s three-century stewardship of one of West Africa’s most significant manuscript collections. For nearly half his life, he has tended to over 1,400 ancient texts, many dating back centuries and covering subjects from Quranic interpretation to astrology and linguistics. His great-grandfather once journeyed from Chinguetti to Andalusia in southern Spain to acquire Moorish manuscripts, laying the foundation for what would become the Habott Library—one of the few remaining family-run repositories of knowledge in this historic city.

Mr. Habott, now in his early 50s, has served as the library’s custodian since 2002, when he was chosen during the annual family gathering that oversees both familial and archival affairs. He recalls witnessing the ebb and flow of visitors over the years—periods of bustling scholarly interest followed by stretches of quiet solitude. While European researchers often focus on cataloging details like titles and dates, Arab scholars tend to delve deeper into the spiritual and intellectual content of the manuscripts.

Kang-Chun Cheng

At dusk, camel herders tend to their animals near a watering point just steps from one of Chinguetti’s last family-run libraries. Home to approximately 4,000 residents, the city remains a quiet testament to an era of trans-Saharan scholarship.

David Kyule, a lecturer in the University of Nairobi’s Department of History and Archaeology, emphasizes the cultural importance of these collections. “They are not mere piles of old papers—they are repositories of community memory and identity,” he explains. “Families in Chinguetti have historically owned and transmitted these manuscripts, a tradition that archaeologists recognize as integral to the region’s legacy of learning.”

According to Dr. Kyule, Chinguetti’s libraries emerged from its pivotal role as a caravan and pilgrimage crossroads along trans-Saharan trade routes connecting North Africa to Timbuktu and Mecca. Scholars and traders brought, copied, and exchanged texts here, which were later preserved by local families across generations—often under challenging desert conditions.

“These manuscripts stand as tangible proof that intellectual life, literacy, and scholarly discourse flourished in the Sahara well before European colonial influence,” Dr. Kyule notes.

Kang-Chun Cheng

Chinguetti, perched atop the Sahara Desert, endures harsh climates that make long-term preservation of fragile materials especially difficult.

Kang-Chun Cheng

The rare manuscripts housed within Mr. Habott’s library represent some of the oldest surviving written works in West Africa.

Kang-Chun Cheng

Many of the volumes are deeply rooted in religious scholarship, particularly interpretations of the Quran, alongside texts on astrology and grammar.

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Travelers and traders continue to pass through Chinguetti, echoing the caravans that once carried knowledge across the Sahara.

Kang-Chun Cheng

Mr. Habott stands outside the library, embodying both continuity and concern—for like many isolated communities, Chinguetti worries about whether future generations will remain to safeguard its heritage.

Like countless rural settlements worldwide, Chinguetti grapples with the risk of youth migration. Tradition dictates that only male heirs can inherit the role of librarian, meaning that if daughters marry or leave, the lineage may be disrupted. With two teenage sons of his own, Mr. Habott admits uncertainty about who will carry forward his family’s legacy.

“I’ve always felt proud to be part of something greater than myself,” he says. “I only hope one of my sons will feel the same calling.”

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