Moroccan Berbers

No trip to Morocco would be complete without an examination of the native culture.  There are two things that I wish that I had done on my recent trip and spending more time in the mountains, learning more about Berber culture is one of those things.  I did manage to come home with a Berber rug, but that just whetted my taste.

Berber history goes back to prehistoric times-- their culture has been around for at least 4000 years or maybe more. Calling themselves Amazigh, the proud raiders, they fought against the Romans, Arab, and French invaders. Even though the Romans and others have tried to colonize the Berber people, they have managed to preserve their own language and culture and in reality were never beaten!
Berber language is primarily oral in nature, although they have had their own writing system for more than 2500 years. Modern Moroccan Arabic is strongly influenced by the native Berber language.

They are a cafe au lait skinned people and have been called by many names: Libyans by the ancient Greeks, Numbians by the Romans, and Moors by medieval Europe.  Islam came to the Berbers in the ninth and tenth centuries. Prior to then, most Berbers across Africa were Christian or Jewish. Two great Islamic Berber dynasties, Almoravids and Almohads, ruled large parts of Spain and northwest Africa.  Today, most of the twenty-seven million Moroccans are either Berbers, Arabs, or Moors (people of Berber/Arab decent). Their ancestors became the Almoravids and Almohads that built the mighty Moorish empire that ruled Spain, Portugal and Northern African.

There are many of today’s Berbers who continue to live in the mountains of Morocco while the Arabs and Moors live in the cities, though it is very common these days to see Berbers running, owning and operating small shops and other commerce endeavors.
Stories have characterized Berbers as nomads using camels to cross the Sahara desert. Most today are farmers of the mountains and valleys in Morocco. They were traders in the earlier days. Berber’s long recorded influence affected commerce by establishing trading routes between the West African and the Sub-Saharan region. They transported goods from beyond the Sahara desert to the Northern Moroccan cities. Merchants were considered in a higher class than the farmers, however, through history the roles have mostly been reversed.  Think about a mountain visit if you are going to Morocco to learn more about this ancient culture.