Oualata (English spelling)

Japanese: ワラタ（英語表記）Oualata

An oasis town on the southern edge of the Western Sahara in Africa (presently southeastern Mauritania). Located north of the capital of the Kingdom of Ghana, which flourished in this region from the 8th to the 11th centuries, it is believed to have already been a stopover point for trade with North Africa at that time. When the Kingdom of Ghana collapsed in the late 11th century, many of the inhabitants of the capital are said to have fled to Walata. Later, during the era of the Mali Empire, which reached its peak in the 14th century, Walata gained importance as one of the trade stops connecting North Africa and Mali. The name Walata appears in the writings of a 14th-century Italian geographer, and the great Arab traveler Ibn Battuta visited the town (which he called Iwaratan) in 1352, stayed there for 50 days, and then walked for 24 days to the capital of the Mali Empire at that time.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

アフリカの西サハラ南縁(現，モーリタニア南東部)にあるオアシスの町。8～11世紀にこの地方に栄えたガーナ王国の首都の北方に位置し，当時すでに北アフリカとの交易の中継地だったと思われる。11世紀後半のガーナ王国崩壊のとき，首都の住民の多くはワラタに逃げたと伝えられる。その後14世紀を最盛期とするマリ帝国の時代に，北アフリカとマリを結ぶ交易中継地の一つとして重要性を増した。14世紀のイタリアの地誌家の記述にはワラタの名があり，アラブの大旅行者イブン･バットゥータは1352年にこの町(彼はイワーラータンと呼んでいる)を訪れて50日滞在し，その後24日歩いて当時のマリ帝国の都に赴いている。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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