The Berbers

Two out of every three Moroccans are, in cultural and linguistic terms, Berber.

Thought to be the descendants of people of mixed origins - including Oriental, Saharan and European - the Bergers settled in Morocco at different times, and they do no make up a homogeneous race. By finding refuge in the mountainous regions, they survived several succesive invasions - those of the civilizations of the Mediterranean basin, of the Arabs, then, much later, those of the French and the Spaniards. The Berbers still speak several dialects and maintain distinct cultural traditions. They are renowned for their trading activities and for the strenghth of their tribal and family ties.