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History of Mauritania
From antiquity to the modern era — the historical eras, key events, and narrative that shaped Mauritania.
Overview
Architectural detail of an old mosque at Tîchît THE SAHARA HAS LINKED rather than divided the peoples who inhabit it and has served as an avenue for migration and conquest. Mauritania, lying next to the Atlantic coast at the western edge of the desert, received and assimilated into its complex society many waves of these migrants and conquerors.
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Historical Eras
The major periods of {country}’s history at a glance.
Ancient & Berber Era
300 – 1040
Berber peoples migrated southward into the region from the third century onward, gradually displacing and assimilating earlier inhabitants. The Sanhadja Confederation rose to prominence between the eighth and tenth centuries, controlling trans-Saharan trade routes and facilitating early Islamization through contact with Arab merchants. Internal rivalries among Sanhadja clans ultimately undermined the confederation's cohesion.
Almoravid Empire
1040 – 1250
The Almoravid movement emerged from the Sanhadja Berbers of the western Sahara, launching a militant Islamic reform that conquered Morocco, Spain, and the Ghana Empire to the south. Founded by Abdallah ibn Yasin and expanded militarily by Yusuf ibn Tashfin, the empire spread rigorous Sunni Islam across a vast territory. The Almohad Empire's rise and internal fragmentation brought Almoravid dominance to an end by the mid-thirteenth century.
Arab Consolidation
1250 – 1900
Yemeni Arab tribes, particularly the Banu Hassan, steadily penetrated Mauritania from the twelfth century onward, completing their military and cultural dominance after the Mauritanian Thirty-Year War (1644–1674), in which Berber groups failed to repel Arab warriors. This era cemented arabization and the hierarchical Maure social order of warriors, clerics, and vassals. European powers, principally France, competed for coastal trade in gum arabic but exercised limited inland control until the nineteenth century.
French Colonial Period
1900 – 1960
France formally established Mauritania as a colonial territory in 1904 and incorporated it into French West Africa in 1920, administering it largely through Senegal. Colonial governance relied on Islamic religious leaders and traditional elites rather than direct rule, leaving the country's social structure and economy largely undeveloped. Following World War II, a series of constitutional reforms and regular elections gradually built political capacity, culminating in independence on November 28, 1960.
Independence & Nation-Building
1960 – 1991
The Islamic Republic of Mauritania emerged under President Mokhtar Ould Daddah, navigating tensions between its Arab-Berber north and sub-Saharan African south. The country annexed the southern portion of Spanish Sahara in 1976 but was forced to renounce its claim by 1979 following devastating Polisario Front guerrilla raids. A succession of military coups, economic hardship driven by drought and desertification, and violent inter-ethnic clashes in 1989–1990 defined this turbulent foundational period.
Multiparty Modern Era
1991 – present
A new constitution in 1991 legalized opposition parties and nominally introduced multiparty democracy, though presidential elections remained widely criticized as flawed and effective power stayed concentrated within a narrow elite. Parliament formally outlawed slavery in 2007, decades after a 1981 ban proved largely unenforced, reflecting persistent social inequalities between the dominant Maure population and black minority communities. Offshore oil production beginning in 2006 offered new economic prospects alongside enduring governance and human rights challenges.
Timeline Preview
The first 7 key events. View the full chronology on the timeline page.
1500
European mariners and traders establish settlements.
European mariners and traders establish settlements.
1644 – 1674
Mauritanian Thirty-Year War: Berbers unsuccessful in repelling Arab warriors.
Mauritanian Thirty-Year War: Berbers unsuccessful in repelling Arab warriors.
1850 – 1860
French forces gain control of southern Mauritania.
French forces gain control of southern Mauritania. In 1898 France wins the allegiance of Moors in the region.
1904
France establishes Mauritania as a colonial territory.
France establishes Mauritania as a colonial territory.
1920
Mauritania becomes part of French West Africa, and is administered from Senegal.
Mauritania becomes part of French West Africa, and is administered from Senegal.
1946
Becomes a French overseas territory.
Becomes a French overseas territory.
1957
Nouakchott established as the capital.
Nouakchott established as the capital.