Moritanya Arap Şiiri Üzerine Tarihî Bir İnceleme
A Historical Study on Mauritanian Arabic Poetry

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the historical development of Arabic poetry in Mauritania within the framework of how and through which dynamics the classical tradition has been preserved into the modern period. Geographically distant from the central literary hubs of the Arab-Islamic world, Mauritania (Bilād al-Shinqīṭ) stands out as an exceptional cultural space that has maintained the classical qaṣīda tradition continuously, despite formal ruptures in modern Arab literature. The central question of the study is why Mauritanian Arabic poetry did not undergo radical poetic transformation during modernization and how the classical form was preserved. The research uses a qualitative approach, analyzing the continuity of the poetic tradition through three dynamics: Bedouin oral culture, the maḥḍara educational system, and the poet–scholar identity. Poetry in Mauritania is positioned not only as an aesthetic practice but also as a tool for knowledge transmission, moral formation, and the establishment of social legitimacy. In this context, the classical qaṣīda is not a frozen relic but a living form sustaining epistemic and cultural continuity. The study also shows that modern themes, such as colonialism, ummah consciousness, and the Palestinian issue, appear in Mauritanian poetry, with transformations primarily occurring at the content level. This balance between formal conservatism and thematic updating demonstrates that Mauritanian poetry modernizes without abandoning its classical tradition. Overall, the Mauritanian case offers a unique literary experience, showing that classical poetry can remain productive and meaningful in the modern world.

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