The Berbers

The Berbers

The Berbers (also known as the Amazigh), are a racially diverse group. Berbers are indigenous to the north

African region. The Berber people are distributed throughout an area stretching from the Siwa Oasis in

Egypt to the Atlantic Ocean; from the Niger River to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Berber people had their own dialect; a variation of the Afro-Asiatic group of languages. Since Islam arrived

in north Africa in 600AD, the Berbers of Maghreb have spoken variations of Mahgrebi Arabic.

During France's occupation of north Africa, the use of

languages other than French was banned. In school, Algerian pupils were forced to adopt the language, thus

abandoning their mother tongues, including classical Arabic, together with all of the Berber dialects.

Nowadays, most Berbers inhabit countries of north Africa

such as Morocco and Algeria. Large Berber concentrations are also found in Mauritania, Mali, Niger,

Libya and Tunisia, with migrant communities having settled in Turkey, France and Europe.

The Berber community encompasses an entire geography

and history of north Africa. Berbers are not a distinct ethnicity per se: they are composed of a range of

societies, ancestries and phenotypes. The unifying factor of the Berber people is their shared language, coupled

with their collective identification with Berber history and heritage.

Tajine – Traditional Cuisine

Some 25-30 million Berber language speakers live in

north Africa today. The number of ethnic Berbers is

believed to be far greater: native Berbers who now speak other tongues. Berbers call themselves the "i-Mazigh-

en", meaning the free or noble men. The term is believed to be derived from ancient Greek or Roman.

A collection of the most famous Berbers throughout

history include: King Masinissa of Numidia.

King Jugurtha.

Apuleius, the Berber-Roman author.

Saint Augustine of Hippo.

Lusius Quietus, the Berber-Roman general.

Kahina, a female Berber military and religious leader.

Kusaila, leader of the Awraba tribe and head of the Sanhadja

people.

Tariq Ibn Ziyad, a famous general who conquered Hispania.

Yusuf Ibn Tashfin, Almoravid emperor.

Ibn Battula, the medieval explorer.

Abbas Ibn Firnas, the prolific inventor and early aviation

pioneer.

Estevanico, early explorer of the Americas.

Zinedine Zidane, the eminent French football player.

Loreen, Swedish born Eurovision Song Contest winner of

2012.

Ibrahim Afellay, the Dutch football player.

Until the 11th Century, the majority of north-west Africa

was a Muslim Berger-speaking area. The history of the Berber people is of great interest to Tony Freeman, as an

enthusiast in north African culture.

Explore a variety of Moroccan foods here.