Wilaya · Zouerate
Tiris Zemmour
Iron country: Zouerate, Kediet Ej Jill the highest point in Mauritania, Fort Gouraud and the far north.
Tiris Zemmour holds Mauritania's far north-east and has the fewest inhabitants. Its ground is rocky hamada running to the horizon.
Its capital, **Zouerate**, was built on iron. The ore train sets out from here on its long run to the ocean. Nearby rises **Kediet Ej Jill**, the highest point in Mauritania at around 915 metres, a mountain of nearly pure iron.
**F'Dérik** is an old town at the foot of the massif, with the ruins of colonial-era Fort Gouraud. Further north, **Bir Moghreïn** was a caravan crossroads, and **Aïn Ben Tili** is the last inhabited point before the border.
The area is harsh and needs serious preparation and an accompanied convoy. Those who reach it find absolute desert and a night sky no light disturbs.
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