Bakel

Discover Bakel

Bakel lies on the Senegal River, across from the village of Gouraye, Mauritania. The town was founded in the 18th century by members of the Ndiaye family who were fleeing succession disputes in the Jolof Empire to the west. The Bakel area belonged to the Kingdom of Galam, also called Gajaaga, which granted the migrants the right to remain on the land. The Ndiaye eventually integrated with the local Soninke population, and Bakel is renowned for its Soninke culture today. The French began to penetrate the region in the 18th century, purchasing slaves from the Gajaaga monarchs to export from Saint-Louis at the mouth of the Senegal River. In 1818, the French sent a small flotilla up the river and got as far as Bakel when they were forced to halt their venture due to the seasonal drop in river's water level. It was as good a place as any to build a fort, and so they did, in 1820. The Fort de Faidherbe remains to this day, its rusting cannons standing guard over the river.