Where did the Berbers originate?

The origins of the Berbers are unclear; a number of waves of people, some from Western Europe, some from sub-Saharan Africa, and others from Northeast Africa, eventually settled in North Africa and made up its indigenous population. Berber is a foreign word. The Berbers call themselves Imazighen (men of the land).

Where were the Berbers from and what did they do initially to survive?

Wikimedia CommonsA pair of Berbers trekking through the Sahara desert. The earliest evidence we have of the Berbers shows that they are descended from Stone Age tribes that lived around the coast of North Africa sometime around 5,000 BCE.

Who are the Berbers and what geographic region are they from?

The Berbers (Imazighen, singular Amazigh) are an ethnic group indigenous to Northwest Africa, speaking the Berber languages of the Afroasiatic family. They are the descendents of the pre-Arab populations of North Africa from the Egyptian frontier to the Atlantic and from the Mediterranean coast to the Niger River.

Why are there so many versions of the Berber language?

Their linguistic conversion began in the military, with the troops composed mostly of Berber soldiers led by Arab commanders. Eventually, Arabic spread beyond the army, yet many Berber speakers retained their indigenous languages, which are still spoken in interior Morocco and elsewhere in northwestern Africa.

How did the Berbers come to Africa?

The Sudanic empires and pastoralists from East Africa also had a great influence on the Berber people. The Berbers expanded from the coastal areas of North Africa into Sahara, displacing the earlier inhabitants such as the Azer. However, they were assimilated into North Africa by the Arabs as early as the 11th century.

What happened to the Berbers after the fall of Rome?

Following the fall of Rome, Berber kingdoms again came to control much of North West Africa. Berber sultanates would even come to dominate parts of Spain. Through it all, the Berbers would receive new cultural influences from the lands they ruled and the people who ruled them.

What language do the Berbers speak?

They speak the Berber language belonging to the Afroasiatic family. There are about 25-30 million Berber speakers in North Africa today with the majority found in Libya, Algeria, and Morocco. The majority of the population in North Africa is also believed to be Berber in origin.

What is the biggest threat to the Berber culture?

Perhaps the biggest threat to the Berber way of life has been persecution by Arab groups. In fact, they have been oppressed by the Arabs of North Africa for centuries. In Libya, for example, infamous dictator Muammar Gaddafi brutally suppressed the Berber identity under the justification that all Libyans were Arab.