An atlas of Earth’s mysterious places — megaliths, pyramids, lost and sunken cities — with the evidence shown plainly: what is verified, what is contested, and what is still unknown.

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Mauritania

16 places in the atlas, 4 of them inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage.

Kinds found here

Archaeological wonders10
Ancient cities7
Ancient villages3
Buried cities2
Earthworks2
Submerged sites2
Contested sites1
Fortresses1
Geoglyphs1
Natural formations1
Necropoleis1
Phantoms1

How well established

Verified11
Accepted1
Contested1
Hypothetical1
Pseudo2

Top regions

Adrar Region2
Hodh Ech Chargui2
Tagant Region2
Adrar Plateau, Sahara Desert1
Adrar Region, near Atar1
Adrar, Richat Structure Semsiyat dome1

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Verification

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Verified11 Widely accepted1 Contested

Hodh Ech Chargui Region

Hodh Ech Chargui, 35 km south of Koumbi Saleh central mound, Sahara–Sahel fringe1

Hodh Ech Chargui, Koumbi Saleh (Kumbi Saleh, capital of Ghana Empire) west dune necropolis 800 m west of western town1

Hodh Ech Chargui, Néma1

Hodh el Gharbi, 250 km north of Kiffa, Aoukar dune depression1

Hodh el Gharbi, Tegdaoust (Aoudaghost, Ghana Empire south capital) east sector 300 m east of citadel1

Hypothetical1

Unverified0

Pseudoarchaeology2

Heritage

UNESCO World Heritage only

Excavation

Partially excavated10 Not applicable2 Excavated1 Unexcavated1 Excavation ongoing1 Buried1

1 place

Verified #soninke Clear all

✓Verified

🇲🇷 Mauritania · Ancient city

Koumbi Saleh South Ridge (Ghana Empire Capital Annex)

Ghana Empire (c. 700–1240 CE; South Ridge 10th–12th c) · Soninke (Wagadou Ghana Empire) / Berber Almoravid

Southern craft suburb of fabled Ghana capital, with iron bloomery row and bead workshops 35 km south of central mounds, showing Ghana's industrial hinterland; separate from UNESCO...