Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf Mangera – Mauritania 5 Travel Advice

			Bismillah R Rahman Rahim as a lot
of people have asked, and emailed
		

			us since the documentaries. For
additional guidance and
		

			information about how to get to
Mauritania, I thought we'll just
		

			mention a few few points that
could be of benefit to all. First
		

			and foremost plan your trip during
the winter months, January to
		

			March, they say is probably the
best time because when it gets
		

			beyond that it's extreme extreme
extreme dry heat that you will
		

			find and then there's probably
some winter season as well.
		

			January to March is quite pleasant
when we went it was extremely
		

			pleasant. So try to go during that
time. Number two, there's very few
		

			flights that actually go there.
And it's also expensive, because
		

			it's not a very frequently flown
to destination. So Turkish
		

			Airlines is quite good, except
that you have to go all the way to
		

			Turkey first, if you're going from
Europe to America, and then go
		

			back seven hours or eight hours.
So the other way to go is through
		

			Morocco. It just depends on what
the best timing that you will get
		

			and the best pricing that you will
get on the tickets. If you want to
		

			go Senegal as well, then it's
probably better to use something
		

			like Turkish Airlines or something
to go into no auction, which is
		

			the capital of Mauritania, and
then come back out of out of
		

			Senegal. The other thing is when
you get there, then you you know
		

			you could check into a hotel down
there. No, actually it has some
		

			decent hotels and everything. You
know, it's a city that has a lot
		

			of these modern amenities and
everything. But then make sure you
		

			get a driver who knows where he's
going and get that driver, if
		

			you're going to meet more are
better hydrogen I'm assuming most
		

			people are going to do if they're
going to a place called to a
		

			Murat, then what you need to do is
you need to get a driver that goes
		

			to the closest city. And what our
friend and hosts brother matar,
		

			may Allah reward him abundantly.
What he did for us was really good
		

			because he got a driver for the
seven hour journey six, seven hour
		

			journey to the closest city guru.
And then from there, he got
		

			another driver and I was wondering
why get another driver. But it was
		

			good because this was a local
driver who knew his way through a
		

			desert. There's no markings on the
roads and in the mountains. And
		

			after we came back, I read a
number of stories of others who
		

			had gone there and they'd spent 24
hours to get the right just 24
		

			hours just on the road we it took
us about I would say about 1011
		

			hours, it took them 24 hours
actually ended up in the middle of
		

			the night in another village where
then they stayed and so on and
		

			it's not easy. So don't take
somebody who does who doesn't know
		

			the way take to drive one driver
up to Giroux and then from Giroux,
		

			take another driver who knows his
way to to a Murat. Otherwise, you
		

			don't want agony. In that regard.
When you get into Mauritania.
		

			There's, they do the visa checks
and so on. And it takes about 15
		

			minutes per person or something,
they take your fingerprints. And
		

			it's quite a lot of things that
they do down there. It's just one
		

			of the things that you're going to
have to face in these kinds of
		

			countries. So it really helps if
you've got somebody that you're
		

			staying with or a contact there.
So as soon as he got there, they
		

			asked us you know who's coming to
pick you up? So we mentioned
		

			brother matar his name, they asked
for his phone number. They called
		

			him up and they said, Okay, your
visitors are here. The other thing
		

			is that because the brothers I
went with as well, my companions,
		

			we all had big beards. They were a
bit suspicious of us, it seems,
		

			because they have some problem
with sort of, he's down there. And
		

			generally it's sort of us who have
long beards, the people, they have
		

			North Africa of West Africa that
they have, you know, more goatee
		

			style of beer, just naturally,
their hair, the beard isn't always
		

			as, as dense as as as ours are. So
they were a bit suspicious,
		

			because there's problems in Mali,
and sometimes people use
		

			Mauritania to go through to that.
So they get they probably get paid
		

			to make sure that the security is
very strong. So they, they do
		

			that. But one thing what they said
about Mauritania, my friend told
		

			me is that if we had just got
there and our friend had not
		

			turned up for some reason, and
been held up, you know, with some
		

			work or couldn't couldn't get
there for some reason, and we
		

			missed him or there was a mistake
in you know, the dates or
		

			something like that. When he says
within two days, people would have
		

			been able to find him. There's
only about 3 million population
		

			there. And pretty much everybody
knows the other person or their
		

			tribe or something. So if I just
given the full name of Brother
		

			matar within it says that within
two days they would have probably
		

			been able to locate exactly where
he is through his family, through
		

			his father and so on. Somebody
would know somebody else. That's
		

			kind of very interesting in a
whole country that you can do
		

			something like that, within that
no workshop and general area.
		

			You need at least if you want to
go to visit, shake, Morabito Hodge
		

			then you need at least 48 hours
minimum if you're willing to spend
		

			two nights in the car. This is
what we did. Both the nights going
		

			there and coming back we spent in
the car. Of course, if you don't
		

			want to do that, and you want to
go and rest somewhere for the
		

			night, then you want to go then
you need at least three days. You
		

			know you need at least three days
you need at least two nights and
		

			three days. We didn't have much
time so we spent both nights back
		

			there and coming out
		

			Going there and back in the car.
The other thing is that British
		

			pounds, they don't seem to value
that much, it's best to take euros
		

			or US dollars, they charge about
50 euros at the airport. And
		

			because the Euro exchange rate
with the with the pound was very
		

			good, we got a good deal. But
pounds are more difficult to
		

			change exchange down there. So
best to get euros or dollars when
		

			you go there it remember it's a
Francophone country. So they, they
		

			it's a more French oriented in
terms of the language and so on.
		

			Few people understand English,
it's a good idea to take lots of
		

			copies of your passport, because
every time you enter a city or
		

			come out of a city, first you get
the police check, then you get the
		

			gendarmerie, which is the National
Guard. And they want to register
		

			you. So each time you're going
past, they want to register you
		

			and they take your passport in
takes about five 710 minutes or
		

			whatever. And each of these
places, they will be suspicious
		

			about our beards. So then they
would ask our host, are they still
		

			iffy? Or what you know, what are
they? And they said, no, no, we're
		

			going to meet the shakes, and you
know, we're Sufi, and so on and so
		

			forth. So it's, then then they
calm down, you know, then it's not
		

			a problem. But what our friend did
was that he had a lot of our
		

			passport copies. So he would just
give them the passport copy. And
		

			then we'd be able to carry on,
when we did go past one place a
		

			few times, and then they recognize
us, then they would just let us go
		

			pass. But it was a good idea to do
this registration. And the reason
		

			for it is that if then you are
accused of going to a wrong place
		

			in another country or something
like that, you know, in Mali, or
		

			anywhere else, somebody has some
suspicion over you, these
		

			registrations can prove that you
know, where you were at any given
		

			date. So, you know, there's a bit
of inconvenience there. But it's
		

			probably worth it to a certain
degree in the current climate. If
		

			you want to take gifts for the
scholars, for the people, you
		

			know, they appreciate gifts, it's
good to give gifts to scholars,
		

			when you go to visit them. The one
of the best things that you can
		

			give which is universal is
obviously give them some money,
		

			right, you can give them some
money either exchange it, then
		

			give it to them. And there's
probably other things that you can
		

			consider taking as well. In terms
of food, food is generally
		

			available out there. But if you're
if you sometimes with the local
		

			food down there, you may be a bit
worried about that some people
		

			just can't eat other than what
they feel very comfortable with,
		

			then you know, you can take your
own dry snacks and things of that
		

			nature or buy something in the
washer before you You carry on.
		

			Bottled water seems to be
available everywhere. The table
		

			brand is very nice. And apparently
the
		

			it's a nice, it's nice, there's
other bottled water, it's
		

			available. It's not too expensive
either, right. So you can carry a
		

			lot of that there's some decent
soft drinks and other kinds of
		

			beverages that you will get which
is imported out of Morocco, from
		

			Morocco, and so on. Another thing
is, it's a good idea to take some
		

			mosquito repellent if you're going
further south, and no Oxshott. And
		

			the northern parts of Mauritania
doesn't have that problem, but and
		

			you get south will further south,
especially if you're going to if
		

			you're going to Senegal, then then
you'll need that because there's a
		

			high risk of malaria and there's
certain shots and injections that
		

			you need to take. Again, this is
not some kind of official guide
		

			that I'm providing this is just,
you know, don't go and make your
		

			own research, get do your own
research for this. And don't just
		

			take my word for any of these
things, I'm not going to take any
		

			liability for anything for that
that may happen. So
		

			where you might be sleeping, if
you go to these villages where
		

			they are the mothers, it's not
going to be plush beds that you'll
		

			get, it'll be maybe some cushions
on the ground or just some
		

			blankets or something like that.
So you have to be willing to do
		

			that. Another thing is the
toilets, the bathroom situation,
		

			you generally have to take a jug
with you, it's generally just a
		

			hole kind of in the ground.
There's no flush system in most of
		

			these places, especially in the
body. So you have to be willing to
		

			deal with all of these deal with
all of these issues. We'll do
		

			we'll just do from a jug as well.
		

			Generally, wherever you go,
there's maybe some wasps or
		

			Hornets buzzing around lots of
flies around in your food and that
		

			you just have to get used to it.
That's just the way it is. It is
		

			down there.
		

			As if you're gonna go to Senegal
as well, it's about 50 euros at
		

			the border, it takes about two
hours or something like that you
		

			crossover. But once you get into
Senegal then you suddenly notice
		

			that it becomes less desert it
suddenly starts becoming greener
		

			and things are just much more
advanced in Senegal. I hope this I
		

			hope this is some kind of help for
any journey that you might want to
		

			take. And aside from that, any
other kind of travel accessories
		

			that you need, or whatever. And
the main thing is take your taqwa
		

			with you because that's the most
important thing on a journey the
		

			Rosa Larson used to always remind
people about Dukkha on a journey.
		

			Be careful, be considerate, and
fear Allah subhanho wa Taala
		

			wherever you are, and you will get
a much more blessed journey. If
		

			you want more information about
the whole concept of traveling in
		

			Islam and so on. We
		

			I've got another video on that
another
		

			talk on that on zamzam Academy
which is the etiquette of
		

			traveling. That might be helpful
as well just in general about
		

			traveling just come on down here.
Baraka Lo Fi calm Assalamu alaykum
		

			Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh