Oualata forms part of the Fortified Town Quartet, or part of the Ksour, which grants World Heritage status as a center of trade and religion. Today, they retain rich relics of the medieval past.

Throughout the Oualata, doors made of acacia wood adorned with traditional designs painted by local women pierce the ground of the earth. The family library protects a valuable record of centuries of history, cultural and literary heritage, passed down to generations.

However, Oualata is close to the Mali border, making it very susceptible to the ruthless environment of the Sahara. The remaining stones of the hot and seasonal downpours piled up and left huge holes in the town’s historic walls, a consequence of the recent rains.

“Many houses collapsed due to the rain,” Cardi said, standing next to her collapsed childhood home, now her grandparents’ inheritance.

The decline in population has only accelerated the decline in Valata.

"The houses became ruins because their owners left the house," explains Sidiya, a member of a national foundation dedicated to protecting the country's ancient towns.

Through generations, Valata's population has steadily declined as residents leave their jobs, leaving historic buildings neglected. Traditional buildings covered with red mud bricks, called Banco, were designed to withstand desert climates, but require maintenance every rainy season.

Now, much of the Old Town is abandoned, with only about one-third of the buildings living in it.

"Our biggest problem is desertification. Valata is full of sand," Sidya said.

According to the Mauritania Ministry of Environment, about 80% of the people in the country are affected by desertification – an advanced stage of land degradation caused by “climate change (and) “inappropriate operational practices”.

By the 1980s, even the mosques in Valata were submerged in the sand. Bechir Barick, a geography lecturer at Nockjort University, recalls that “people pray at the top of the mosque” rather than inside.

Despite the ruthless sand and wind, Vallata retains the relics of its era, which is key to the Sahara caravan route and the famous Islamic learning center.

As the town’s Imam, Mohamed Ben Baty comes from the community of outstanding Quran scholars and is the trustee of the scholarship for nearly a thousand years. He oversees the House's Family Library 223 manuscripts, the oldest manuscript dates back to the 14th century.

In a narrow, messy room, he half-opened a cabinet showing its precious content-the fragile, centuries-long documents, and the survival of these documents was truly remarkable.

"The books are very low at one time and are exposed to damage," said Ben Baty, who is currently stored on a page on a water stain in a plastic sleeve. "Books from the past were stored in tree trunks, but when it rains, water seeps into it and can destroy the books."

Spain provided funding for Oualata's library in the 1990s, supporting the restoration and digital preservation of more than 2,000 books. However, the continued preservation of these files now relies on the dedication of a few enthusiasts like Ben Baty, who do not live in Oualata all year round.

"Libraries need qualified experts to ensure their management and sustainability, because it contains a large amount of valuable documentation for researchers in various fields: language, Quranic science, history, astronomy," he said.

The isolation of Oualata has hindered the development of tourism – there are no hotels, and the nearest town is a two-hour journey through rough terrain. The town’s location is in areas where many countries suggest travel to fight against the threat of violence, which further complicates the prospects.

Efforts to deal with the desert encroachment include planting trees near Vallata thirty years ago, but Sidia acknowledged that these measures were insufficient.

In 1996, many initiatives have been launched to rescue Oualata and three other ancient towns on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Every year, a festival is held in one of the four towns to raise funds to raise recovery and investment and encourage more people to stay.

As the sun sets behind the Dahar Mountains and desert air, the streets of Valata are filled with the sound of playing children, and the ancient town briefly restores life.