The Berbers
The Berbers, also known as Imazighen which means ”free men” are indigenous group from Northwest Africa where they are mostly concentrated in Morocco and Algeria but smaller communities are spread out in to the east and south. Berbers have lived in Africa since the earliest recorded time. They take up about forty percent of Moroccan population and around thirty percent live in Algeria. Berbers mainly live in desert regions like the Sahara and in the Atlas Mountains. The reason the live in such areas is because in the 7th century AD, the Arabs conquered North Africa and pushed the Berbers out.
The Berber languages consist of around thirty languages which are closely related and hundreds of dialects which belong to the Afro-Asiatic languages, also known as Afrasian. Even though many languages have disappeared overtime and some long ago, Berbers are putting in huge effort to unify the existing languages into single all Berber language broadly known as Tamazight. It’s hard to determine the exact amount of population who speak Berber because the latest language data recorded is outdated. However, its estimate …show more content…
Some groups of Berbers who live in the northern Sahara, such as the Mozabites, Djerbans and Nafusis are Ibadi Musilims. The wide range of Islamic religion among Bebers is the result of Arabic islmaic culture influence, which started by the Arabs invation in 7th century , the Bedouins arrival in the 11th century and also arrival of Andalusian refugees between 15th and 17th century. Architecture and Music also vary depending on the country or group of Berbers. Berbers who live in the hills of Jebel Nebusa have houses that are mainly recognized, underground carved in limestone, some with surprisingly shaped and divided up rooms. Berbers have diverse musical styles, which range from the Celtic style, bagpipes and oboe to pentatonic music , all consisting of African
The Berbers, also known as Imazighen which means ”free men” are indigenous group from Northwest Africa where they are mostly concentrated in Morocco and Algeria but smaller communities are spread out in to the east and south. Berbers have lived in Africa since the earliest recorded time. They take up about forty percent of Moroccan population and around thirty percent live in Algeria. Berbers mainly live in desert regions like the Sahara and in the Atlas Mountains. The reason the live in such areas is because in the 7th century AD, the Arabs conquered North Africa and pushed the Berbers out.
The Berber languages consist of around thirty languages which are closely related and hundreds of dialects which belong to the Afro-Asiatic languages, also known as Afrasian. Even though many languages have disappeared overtime and some long ago, Berbers are putting in huge effort to unify the existing languages into single all Berber language broadly known as Tamazight. It’s hard to determine the exact amount of population who speak Berber because the latest language data recorded is outdated. However, its estimate …show more content…
Some groups of Berbers who live in the northern Sahara, such as the Mozabites, Djerbans and Nafusis are Ibadi Musilims. The wide range of Islamic religion among Bebers is the result of Arabic islmaic culture influence, which started by the Arabs invation in 7th century , the Bedouins arrival in the 11th century and also arrival of Andalusian refugees between 15th and 17th century. Architecture and Music also vary depending on the country or group of Berbers. Berbers who live in the hills of Jebel Nebusa have houses that are mainly recognized, underground carved in limestone, some with surprisingly shaped and divided up rooms. Berbers have diverse musical styles, which range from the Celtic style, bagpipes and oboe to pentatonic music , all consisting of African