Berbers in North Africa
The modern-day region of Maghrib - the Arab "West"
consisting of present-day Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia - is
inhabited predominantly by Muslim Arabs, but it has a large
Berber minority.
North Africa served as a transit region for peoples moving
toward Europe or the Middle East. Thus, the region's inhabitants
have been influenced by populations from other areas. Out of
this mix developed the Berber people, whose language and culture,
although pushed from coastal areas by conquering and colonizing
Carthaginians, Romans, and Byzantines, dominated most of the land
until the spread of Islam and the coming of the Arabs. The
purpose of this research is to examine the influence of the
Berbers on North Africa.
The cave paintings found at Tassili-n-Ajjer, north of
Tamanrasset, and at other locations depict vibrant and vivid
scenes of everyday life in the central Maghrib between about 8000
B.C. and 4000 B.C. They were executed by a hunting people in the
Capsian period of the Neolithic age who lived in a savanna region
teeming with giant buffalo, elephant, rhinoceros, and
hippopotamus, animals that no longer exist in the now-desert
area. The pictures provide the most complete record of a
prehistoric African culture.
Earlier inhabitants of the central Maghrib have left behind
equally significant remains. Early remnants of hominid
occupation in North Africa, for example, were found in Ain el
Hanech, near Saida (200,000 B.C.). Later, Neanderthal tool
makers produced hand axes in the Levalloisian and Mousterian
styles (43,000 B.C.) similar to those in the Levant. According
to some sources, North Afri...
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...region came under Ottoman
suzerainty in the sixteenth century, the Zayanids kept a tenuous
hold in the central Maghrib. The regime, which depended on the
administrative skills of Andalusians, was plagued by frequent
rebellions but learned to survive as the vassal of the Merinids
or Hafsids or later as an ally of Spain.
In conclusion, to the strong loyalties of the tribe, the
Berber added individualism, democratic participation in inter-
tribal affairs and fierce opposition to foreign invaders. Over
the centuries, many conquerors came to the Maghrib, but few
established durable empires, and few exercised a significant
cultural influence. In the religious sphere, the Berbers
continued to practice their animistic beliefs, while often
adopting religious heresies to oppose their Christian, Jewish or
Islamic overlords.
He decided to improve the status of his land on his arrival from a pilgrimage from Mecca in 1324. Furthermore, he transformed his trading city of Timbuktu to a center of learning and religion and built a mass, which set a new style of architecture in West Africa. “Caravans of Gold” underlines the importance of Timbuktu because it concentrated on African scholarship, politics, teaching theology, and Islamic law. Timbuktu was a significant place in Africa during this time because it became a market right after and made a profit for the region. Likewise, it was a religious, cultural, and profitable center whose people traveled north across the Sahara through Morocco and Algeria to other parts of Africa, Europe, and Asia. According to The History of Africa, “Because of his devotion to Islam, Mansa Musa strengthened Islam and promoted education, trade, and commerce in Mali” (Asante, 2014, pg. 135). It was a successful center for the trans-Saharan gold and salt trade and grew as the center of Islam. This statement launches the truth that Timbuktu supported Islamic values and knowledge because it was a city most well-known for the education of important scholars whose backgrounds were of Islam. Asante supports the fact that Mansa Musa was effective in reforming the city of Timbuktu and the trade in that area. Asante also states that “Musa did not forget the control of the gold and salt; it was fundamental for the
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W. Raymond Johnson, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, (1996), pp. 65-82, Date viewed 19th may, http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3822115.pdf?&acceptTC=true&jpdConfirm=true
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