The zawiya and mosque complex founded by Sheikh Ma El Ainin in 1898 is the only formal sight in Smara and the reason the town exists in its current location. Ma El Ainin was a Mauritanian-born religious scholar who rallied Sahrawi tribes against French and Spanish colonial encroachment, and he chose this remote spot to build a fortified religious centre that briefly served as the political capital of a nascent Saharan resistance.
The complex was partly destroyed by a French military expedition in 1913, after Ma El Ainin's death. What remains are the stone walls of the mosque, the residential quarters, and parts of the perimeter, all built from rough-cut local stone in an austere desert style. The site is open to the elements and lightly maintained. The mihrab arch of the mosque is the most photographed feature, framed against the empty horizon. There is no signage in English; a local guide from the town centre will explain what you are looking at for a small fee.