Babah Ould Cheikh

Cheikh Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Sidiyya, known affectionately as Babah, was the preeminent religious and political arbitrator of southern Mauritania. His family library in Boutilimit was the largest private repository of manuscripts in the Sahara.

A pragmatist and profound scholar, he sought to prevent catastrophic bloodshed during the French conquest by negotiating administrative treaties that preserved Islamic education, local sharia courts, and nomadic grazing rights.