Mosque and minaret of Chinguetti, Mauritania (Unesco World heritage) - stock photo

Prayer has just ended in the mosque of Chinguetti and the believers will return home. The mosque was an ancient center of worship built by the founders of the oasis city of Chinguetti in the Adrar region of Mauritania in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. The minaret of this ancient building is believed to be the second oldest in continuous use anywhere in the Muslim world. In the 1970s the mosque was restored with help of UNESCO, but it, along with the city itself, continues to be threatened by desertification. In 1996 the old town of Chinguetti was added to the Unesco world heritage list, together with the old towns of Ouadane, Tichitt and Oualata. In Sunni Islam, Chinguetti is generally regarded as the 7th holy city.