The remains of a prehistoric town believed to date back 15,000 years and belong to an ancient Berber civilisation have been discovered in Western Sahara, Moroccan state media said.

A team of Moroccan scientists stumbled across the sand-covered ruins of the town Arghilas deep in the desert of the Morocco-administered territory.

The remains of a place of worship, houses and a necropolis, as well as columns and rock engravings depicting animals, were found at the site near the town of Aousserd in north-eastern Western Sahara.