Hassaniya ( ; also known as Hassaniyya, Klem El Bithan, Hasanya, Hassani, Hassaniya) is the
variety of Arabic originally spoken by the
Beni Hassan Bedouin tribes, who extended their authority over most of
Mauritania and the
Western Sahara between the 15th and 17th centuries. It has almost completely replaced the
Berber languages spoken in this region. Although clearly a western dialect, Hassaniya is relatively distant from other North African variants of Arabic. Its geographical location exposed it to influence from
Zenaga and
Wolof. There are several dialects of Hassaniya which differ primarily phonetically. Today, Hassaniya is spoken in
Algeria,
Morocco,
Mauritania,
Mali,
Niger,
Senegal and the
Western Sahara.