Mauritania
نشيد موريتانيا الوطني
Nashid Muritaniya al-Watani
National Anthem of Mauritania
2017
2017
Committee
Committee
✝ God / Faith ❤ Love of homeland 🏺 Ancestors / Heritage |
Key Facts
- 1. The new anthem uses imagery of fish and the sea, unusual for a country that is 90% Saharan desert, reflecting the importance of the Atlantic coastline to Mauritanian identity and economy.
- 2. Mauritania's 2017 anthem change was bundled with adding green stripes to the national flag, making it one of the rare cases where both anthem and flag were redesigned simultaneously by popular vote.
- 3. The previous anthem had no musical instruments in its official performance, being sung a cappella in accordance with certain interpretations of Islamic tradition regarding music.
Lyrics
وطني حبّك في فؤادي يسري
بك أحيا مثلما يحيا السّمك بالبحر
منك أجني ما أشاء من فخر
لك ربّي وعلى كلّ البشر
عطّر الدنيا بمسك من عبير
وأنار الكون من سنا القمر
بتراب الأرض يسمو المنبت
وبرمل القاع يغلو الجوهر
أنت يا وطن عزيز المحتد
فتبارك سامي الأصل الأغر
Translations are non-official and intended to convey meaning, not replace originals
Analysis
EditorialMauritania adopted a new national anthem in 2017, replacing the original anthem used since independence in 1960. The new anthem was selected through a national competition and approved by constitutional referendum. It replaced the previous anthem 'Be a Helper for God' which had been in use for over fifty years.