Date palm

Every summer Mauritanians flock to the Adrar oases for the guetna – the date harvest festival in the palm groves of Atar and Chinguetti.

A tall palm with a trunk covered in the bases of fallen leaves and a crown with a plume of long, stiff leaves. Its fruits ripen in stages – from hard and astringent, through crunchy yellow or red, to soft and very sweet dates. The palm needs hot, dry summers and access to groundwater, so in the Sahara it forms groves in depressions and wadi valleys. For centuries its leaves and fibres have been used to weave mats and baskets and to build shelters.

Significance in the country

The guetna, the date harvest season in July and August, is one of the most important events in Mauritanian life – whole families leave Nouakchott for the oases to eat fresh dates and relax. The most famous palm groves lie in the Adrar, Tagant and Assaba.

Where it grows

In the oases of the Adrar (Atar, Chinguetti, Ouadane, Oujeft), the Tagant (Tidjikja), the Assaba and the oases of both Hodh regions in the east of the country.

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