Char Boubba

   This refers to the war fought between 1644 and 1674 by the Sanhaja confederation against the invading Bani Hassan Arabs, who reached North Africa from their homeland, Yemen, by the 17th century. It is also known as Mauritania's Thirty Years' War. Reacting to the disruption of their caravan trade interest and routes in the north, the Sanhaja, led by the Lemtuna imam Nassir Eddine, tried to resist the Arab invasion and reclaim Berber standing in the territory, which had steadily been on the decline. The Sanhaja were defeated and were compelled, by the treaty of Tin Yedfad, to give up warfare for the book (the Qur'an), pay tribute (horma) and perform various services, and place themselves at a social level below that of their Arab invaders, that is, as Zenaga, or vassals. Over time, the most learned Berbers became marabouts and imams and established religious lodges. The social structure of today's Mauritania reflects the outcome of Char Boubba, at least among the Moors. The Moors are the dominant ethnic group in Mauritania, and the Moorish peoples are in most cases of Arab or Berber origin who speak Hassaniya Arabic and live primarily in the Moroccan Sahara and in Mauritania, particularly in the administrative regions of Adrar, Dekhlet-Nouadhibou, Inchiri, Tagant, Tiris Zemmour, and Trarza.

   See also Languages.