25 shots of a trip on the famous "Desert Train" in Mauritania (26 photos)

Beyond the vast sands of the Western Sahara lies Mauritania, a country the size of France and Germany combined, but with a population of just 4 million. Poverty, poor infrastructure, and a history of kidnapping tourists make it one of the least explored countries in the world. Rich iron ore deposits are the backbone of the country's economy.





Most of the production and exports are concentrated around the Zouerate mines, with a single railway linking these mines to the port of Nouadhibou, from where the iron ore is shipped around the world. Mykolas Zhuodele, a traveler and photographer from Vilnius, Lithuania, boarded the "Desert Train" for a month-long journey across the Sahara.

1. The train arrives in the town of Tchoum, located halfway between Nouadhibou and the Zouerat mines



People wait to board the train, and a young man hopes to sell bread to passengers

In the 1960s, the French built a 700-kilometer railway. In 1974, it became the property of SNIM, the National Mining and Industrial Company.

For almost half a century, this railway has been used to transport more than 17 million tons of iron ore annually. With no roads between the mines of Zuerat and the rest of the country, it has also become a vital transportation hub for the inhabitants of the desert state.

The Mauritanian Iron Ore Train has rightfully earned the title of one of the longest trains in the world. Its length reaches 2.5 km.

2. One of the workers on a Mauritanian iron ore train





“Mauritania is both breathtaking and disturbing. It feels like a Mad Max movie set: old cars drive around without hoods or doors, there are endless piles of scrap metal and the skeletons of abandoned cars. Men wander around in masks, their faces hidden even at night. Goats eat cardboard, and the harsh desert climate only adds to the frightening image of this West African country,” says Joudele.

3. A young bread seller at the station



"There are three trains between Nouadhibou and Zouerat, but only one of them is for passengers, or rather, only the last carriage is for passengers, the other 220 are for transporting iron ore, which are usually empty on the way to Zouerat, so people ride in them for free.

Two groups of passengers are waiting for the train. Women, families, old people and anyone who can afford a 5-euro ticket occupy the more comfortable carriage. Traders, shepherds and poor people, with sacks of rice, dates, boxes of fruit and vegetables, gas cylinders and crates of soft drinks, line the tracks, ready to board the train as soon as it arrives. I head towards the latter, hoping to make friends and film their journey."

4. Passenger in the Night



"A short time later, a group of young Mauritanians approach me and offer to go with them. Some of them speak English, and I could not have imagined better travel companions."

5. The train heads to Nouadhibou



“For many Mauritanians, transporting goods is a daily job. They face extreme temperatures and sandstorms every day, but none of them ever complain about the difficulties. During my month in the country, I traveled by train eight times, covering a total of about 4,300 kilometers. And each time I was pleasantly surprised to meet traders who showed exceptional hospitality and friendliness. I was recognized by shepherds loading their goats in Zouerate, young water sellers at the Choum station, and even by police at the Nouadhibou checkpoint.”

6. When the train stops, several sheep jump off and try to run away. The shepherd chases one of them and finally catches it



“When you leave the Zouerat mines for Nouadhibou, the herders load their goats into wagons already filled with iron ore. This time, the train moves with extreme caution, with each wagon carrying more than 80 tons of ore. The herders quickly set up their shelter for the next 16 hours. They cover the embankment with blankets and build a small stove to boil water for tea. A live goat costs 100 euros in Nouadhibou. When the animal approaches the edge, a stone is thrown at it to make it retreat. Despite all efforts, some still fall, especially at the beginning of the journey when they are more excited.”

“We lose at least five or six goats each time,” says Osman, a powerfully built herder from Senegal. “Sometimes they are picked up by nomads, sometimes they die, and sometimes we are lucky and catch them on the way back.”

7. A train carrying iron ore leaves the mines of Zouerat on a 20-hour journey to the port of Nouadhibou



8. A Mauritanian adjusts his headscarf



9. Teenagers sell soft drinks to passengers drinks



10. Shepherds pick up a runaway



11. Mauritanian shepherds return to Nouadhibou



12. Passenger in a cargo wagon



13. Portrait of a Mauritanian Worker



14. Traders Loading Crates of Juice, Bananas, and Couscous



15. Men praying at dusk, facing Mecca



16. Shepherds loading cattle onto a train



17. Goats being dumped at the final station in Nouadhibou



18. Workers rush to meet an arriving train and help unload goods



19. View of the Sahara Desert



Somewhere Western Sahara, a disputed territory under Moroccan rule, can be seen on the horizon. The border between Western Sahara and Mauritania is mined

20. Atar, a town of 35,000 located in the center of the highway between Nouadhibou and Zouerat



21. View of the town of Fderik from the train. When the soil starts to turn red, you know you're getting close to the mines



22. Mauritanian traders arrive at Zouerat station, where their colleagues are waiting in a pickup truck



23. People wait for a train to arrive near the town of Chum. The train has no set schedule and can sometimes be delayed for hours



24. Most people travel in groups, they have pots and pans, and they always make tea and cook food along the way



25. Mauritanian teenagers sneak between carriages trains