FIELD NOTES / MRT / Western Africa
Mauritania
Patio houses & caravan-town streets.
START WITH A PLACE
Ancient Ksour of Ouadane, Chinguetti, Tichitt and Oualata
The ancient ksour of Mauritania developed around trans-Saharan trade and religious life. Houses with patios cluster along narrow streets around mosques, forming compact settlements in an arid landscape.
Read the source UNESCO World Heritage CentreA CLOSER LOOK
A study in mass and surface.
Compare the narrow public passage with the open private patio. How can tightly packed buildings make room for light within?
An editorial observation prompt, grounded in the reference above.
WORKING COLOUR
A palette to begin with.
Five editorial tones for this surface family. Use them as a starting point for a study; they are not measured samples from the site.
Limestone paper#eee7d8oklch(0.929 0.021 85.945)
Warm sediment#c6ad86oklch(0.760 0.060 78.678)
Earth ochre#a36545oklch(0.568 0.092 47.550)
Weathered slate#657d79oklch(0.569 0.029 184.084)
Carbon ink#282b2boklch(0.286 0.004 196.917)