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Aoudaghost (also transliterated as Awadaghust, Awdughast, Awdaghusht and Awdhaghurst) is a former Berber town in Hodh El Gharbi, Mauritania. It was an important oasis town at the southern end of a trans-Saharan caravan route that is mentioned in a number of early Arabic manuscripts. The archaeological ruins at Tegdaoust in southern Mauritania are thought to be the remains of the medieval town.
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Archaeology
The archaeological site of Tegdaoust forms an artificial mound or tell extending for 12 hectares. It lies south of the Hodh depression and 34 km (21 mi) northeast of the small town of Tamchakett. Excavations were carried out between 1960 and 1976 by a team of French archaeologists. The earliest layers date from the 7-9th centuries with the first mud-brick structures in the late 9th to early 10th centuries. Some stone buildings were constructed in the 11th century. The town appears to have been partly abandoned at the end of the 12th century and was completely abandoned by the 15th although there was some resettlement two centuries later.
In fiction
The science fiction writer Bruce Sterling has dedicated a story to the town in his collection Crystal Express. The story "Dinner at Audoghast" recalls a dinner at a rich merchant's house that takes place at the height of the thriving metropolis about the year 1000 AD. The dinner is described where the guests discuss about their businesses and local affairs. They hear that a notorious fortuneteller is in town and they invite him to join them. He tells them their future and that of the city that it will be destroyed in the near future so that the once thriving metropolis is only a marginal note in history.
World Heritage Status
The archaeological site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on June 14, 2001 in the Cultural category.
