Barkéol (Assaba) — The Aftout, Its Seasonal Wadis and Cultural Festival
Barkéol, also known as the Aftout area, is one of the five departments of the Assaba region in southern Mauritania. It was created administratively…
Wilaya · Kiffa
Assaba
Assaba region: the glass beads of Kiffa, Lake Kankossa, and the plains of the Aftout between the plateaus.
Assaba lies in south-central Mauritania. Its capital is Kiffa, in the Aftout — low plains between the Tagant and Hodh plateaus.
Kiffa is known worldwide for its **Kiffa beads**, polychrome glass beads made by a painstaking technique centuries old. Collectors know them by that name; the craft nearly died out before being revived.
**Kankossa** borders a seasonal lake that draws birds and herds; **Lebheir**, called "the bride of the Aftout", owes its nickname to its natural lake. **Barkéol** holds an annual cultural festival.
The landscape is open plain and seasonal wadis that green after rain, where large herds graze.
Best visited between November and March, via the Route de l'Espoir from Nouakchott.