Since 2001, the site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List.

Today, Aoudaghost is in a state of complete abandonment. The remains of the once-thriving town are concentrated in the area most protected by the wind and sand, with several walls and fortifications yet to be fully englobed by the desert. From the adjacent cliff, the current state of Aoudaghost can be seen in its entirety, but only the mind can imagine the Aoudaghost that served as an economic and cultural hub for the Sahara