Polish photographer Michal Huniewicz, 31, has been traveling the world for the last seven years with the goal of visiting and photographing some of the most interesting - and remote - places on earth. And while on a trip through Mauritania in West Africa, Huniewicz discovered the ancient stone city of Chinguetti, a remote destination home to to one of the world’s most impressive collections of ancient Islamic manuscripts.

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“I love libraries and old books,” Huniewicz told weather.com. “I felt like I had found treasure within the stone labyrinth of Chinguetti [seeing] all those old manuscripts and vellums.”

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Chinguetti was once a thriving metropolis that rose to prominence as an important trading center by the 11th century. It later became a gathering place for pilgrims on their way to Mecca, according to Amusing Planet, then a destination where people from all over West Africa would travel to study religion, law, astronomy, mathematics, and medicine.

Today, however, the ancient city is slowly becoming a ghost town, abandoned by residents escaping the encroaching Sahara sand. Only a few thousand people remain, including the families who protect the stone city’s five remaining libraries home to the manuscripts.The manuscripts, mostly remains of ancient books on Quranic studies, science, and law, are kept on open shelves. As a result of the harsh desert climate, many of the texts are crumbling away. The government of Mauritania has been trying to acquire the delicate manuscripts for years from these private libraries, reports the Daily Beast, but the librarians are wary to part with these family treasures.  According to The Guardian, 33,000 ancient texts are known to exist in Mauritania, but only a couple thousand have been archived by the National Museum.

The librarians in Chinguetti will enthusiastically show their collections to tourists and travelers who pass through the town, and photographer Huniewicz was warmly received.

“The librarian was eager to show the books and proud, as I imagine he felt part of a great tradition,” said Huniewicz. “He probably wanted us to see and know his heritage. We were treated like travelers would have been treated centuries ago.”

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Traveling and photographing in the Sahara desert was challenging, due to the harsh weather conditions. It took three nights before Huniewicz reached Chinguetti, and for parts of his trip through the country, he traveled atop a cargo train. “Daily temperatures would reach 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), but it was just about bearable due to low humidity,” Huniewicz told weather.com. It was difficult to remain hydrated on the trip, he said, and he had to wear special desert clothing, including long sleeves and hats, to keep somewhat cool. In addition, he added, “the sand destroyed two of my main lenses during the trip, but that was primarily on the cargo train ride, which was about 14 hours of constant dust storm.”

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To see more of Huniewicz's work, visit his Facebook, Twitter and Website.

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