The Berbers inhabit several countries throughout north Africa and have long been a pillar of the culture in the region.
Most tourists know them for their colorful wardrobes and the goods they sell in the souks of Moroccan cities.
But there’s far more to their culture than just entertaining tourists and selling fantastic crafts. The word Berber comes from the Greek word “barbaros” (meaning barbarian). In fact, the original Arab word for the Berbers was “Al-Barbar.” They got this moniker because the Romans, French and Arabs who first encountered them perceived their foreign culture and customs to be barbaric and “uncivilized.”
The Berber people have been in North Africa far longer than the Arabs, who are now the majority population. The Berber culture dates back more than 4,000 years, and ancient Berber states like Mauritania and Numidia predate pretty much everything in the region.
Although you may not see many of them if you’re just hanging around Casablanca, over 40% of Moroccans are Berber — an estimated 13 million people. Other countries with significant Berber populations include Algeria with 7-8 million, Niger with 500,00, Mali with 300,000.
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Even countries outside of north Africa have large populations, such as France with over 2 million and Canada with just over 25,000.The delicious Berber cuisine has remained pretty much the same for centuries and includes staples that have been incorporated into the traditional cuisines of North African countries, including couscous, tajines, pastillas, tahricht (offal), and bourjeje (a type of pancake).
While you might see some Berber performances or crafts while touring in cities like Fez or Marrakech, most Berbers do not live there. Instead, they live in the mountainous areas of Morocco and other North African countries, where they farm and live a self-sustaining lifestyle, with a small percentage being nomadic.
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