Berber people
In ancient times
*
Shoshenq I, (Egyptian
Pharaoh of Libyan origin)
*
Masinissa, King of
Numidia, North Africa, present day Algeria and Tunisia
*
Jugurtha, King of
Numidia*
Juba II, King of
Numidia*
Terence, (full name Publius Terentius Afer), Roman writer
*
Apuleius, Roman writer ("half-Numidian, half-Gaetulian")
*
Tacfarinas, who fought the Romans in the
Aures Mountains*Saint
Augustine of Hippo, (from Tagaste, was Berber)
*Saint
Monica of Hippo, Saint Augustine's mother
*
Arius, (who proposed the doctrine of
Arianism)
*
Donatus Magnus, (leader of the
Donatist schism)
*
MacrinusIn medieval times
*
Dihya or al-
Kahina*
Aksil or
Kusayla*
Salih ibn Tarif of the
Berghouata*
Tariq ibn Ziyad, one of the leaders of the Moorish conquest of Iberia in 711.
*
Ibn Tumart, founder of the
Almohad dynasty
*
Yusuf ibn Tashfin, founder of the
Almoravid dynasty
*
Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1377),
Moroccan traveller and
explorer*
al-Ajurrumi (famous grammarian of
Arabic)
*
Fodhil al-Warthilani, traveler and religious scholar of the 1700s
*
Abu Yaqub Yusuf I, who had the
Giralda in
Seville built.
*
Abu Yaqub Yusuf II, who had the
Torre del Oro in
Seville built.
*
Ziri ibn Manad founder of the
Zirid dynasty
*
Sidi Mahrez Tunisian saint
*
Ibn Al Djazzar famous doctor of
Kairouan, 980.
*
Muhammad Awzal (ca. 1680-1749), prolific Sous Berber poet (see also
Ocean of Tears)
*
Muhammad al-Jazuli, author of the
Dala'il al-Khairat,
SufiIn modern times
Politicians
*
Saïd Sadi, secularist politician.
*
Hocine Aït Ahmed, Algerian revolutionary fighter and secularist politician.
*
Sidi Said, Leader of the Algerian syndicat of workers : UGTA.
*
Khalida Toumi, Algerian feminist and secularist, currently spokesman of the Algerian government.
*
Ahmed Ouyahia,
Prime Minister of Algeria*
Belaïd Abrika, one of the spokesmen of the
Arouch.
*
Ferhat Mehenni, politician and singer who militates for the autonomy of Kabylie.
*
Nordine Ait Hamouda, secularist politician and son of
Colonel Amirouche.
*
Saadeddine Othmani, deputy of
Inezgane, an outer suburb of
Agadir, is the leader of the
Justice and Development Party (
Islamist).
*
Driss Jettou,
Prime Minister of Morocco.
Figures of the Algerian resistance and revolution
*
Abane Ramdane, Algerian revolutionary fighter, assassinated in 1957.
*
Krim Belkacem, Algerian revolutionary fighter, assassinated in 1970.
*
Colonel Amirouche, Algerian revolutionary fighter, killed by French troops in 1959.
*Lalla
Fatma n Soumer, woman who led western
Kabylie in battle against French colonizers.
Artists
*
Takfarinas - Kabyle singer
*
Ait Menguellet - Kabyle singer
*
Khalid Izri - Singer from Rif
*
Lounes Matoub,
Berberist and secularist singer assassinated in 1998.
*
Idir - Kabyle singer
*Igout Abdelhadi-Izenzarn Amazigh singer/musical group from Souss (south of Morocco).
*Fatima Tabaamrant- a singer and Amazigh activist in the Souss
*Haj Mohamed Demsiri- a singer from the Souss.
*
Sliman Azem - singer
*
Si Mohand, Kabyle folk poet.
*
Souad Massi, a young, female Kabyle singer who performs mainly in French and Maghrebin Arabic.
*
Aît Ouarab Mohamed Idir Halo (Al Anka),
Chaabi singer in Both
Kabyle and
Algerian Arabic.
*
Karim Ziad - singer
*
El Hachemi Guerouabi,
Chaabi Singer from Mostaghanem, North of algéria.
*
Taos Amrouche, (March 4, 1913 in Tunis, Tunisia - April 2, 1976 in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, France) Algerian writer and singer.
*
Rim-K, rapper
Writers
*
Mouloud Feraoun, writer assassinated by the
OAS.
*
Tahar Djaout, writer and journalist assassinated by the
GIA in 1993.
*
Salem Chaker, Berberist, linguist, cultural and political activist, writer, and director of Berber at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris
*
Mouloud Mammeri, writer, anthropologist and linguist. His interest and work about Tamazight is behind the popular galvanization towards the Amazigh (Berber) culture and language.
*
Taos Amrouche, (March 4, 1913 in Tunis, Tunisia - April 2, 1976 in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, France) Algerian writer and singer.
Sport
*Mohamed Chafiq, Moroccan writer and the dean of the IRCAM.
*
Zinedine Zidane (1972 - ),
French football superstar.
*
Rabah Madjer, Algerian football superstar, Winner of the European Champion's League in 1987 with Porto FC
*
Mustapha Hadji (1972-), Morrocan soccer player nominated best African player of the year 1998.
Others
*
Abd el-Krim, leader of the
Rif guerrillas against the Spanish and French colonizers.
*
Walid Mimoun - Protest Singer from Rif
*
Ali Lmrabet, Moroccan journalist.
*
Kateb Yacine, Algerian Writer.
*
Mohamed Choukri (famous writer)
*
Liamine Zeroual, President of Algeria between 1994-1999.
*
Mohamed Chafik*
Abdallah Oualline Berber Warrior & freedom fighter. Fought against the Spanish occupation in Ait Baamrane, south of Agadir.
*
Didouche Mourad *
Cherif Khedam - composer
*
Cheikh El Hasnaoui - singer
*
Abdallah Nihrane -Scientific Investigator, Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York USA
*
Tinariwen - critically acclaimed band of
Tuareg musicians
*
M. Toufali - Writer and composer from the Rif (Melilla)
*
Sawajiri Erika - Japanese actress. Japanese, Algerian-French mix.
Famous people who were either Berber or Punic
*
Septimus Severus (Roman emperor from the mainly
Punic Libyan city of
Lepcis Magna, founded by
Phoenicians)
*
Caracalla, his son
*
Tertullian, an early
Christian theologian (born in the highly multiethnic, Phoenician-founded city of
Carthage)
*
Vibia Perpetua (early
Christian martyr, also born in
Carthage)
*
Cyprian (also born in
Carthage)
* Roos, Amirouche, Famous Swedish poet.
Famous people who may have had some Berber ancestors
Nearly all North Africans - and many
Andalusi Moors - fall and fell into this category, but do not in general identify themselves as Berber. For lists of them, look under the respective countries.
*
Kabylie, a coastal Berber area, inhabited By Kabyles.
*
Rif, a coastal Berber area, inhabited By Riffis.
*
Zenata, ancestors of Riffis.
*
Senhaja, ancestors of Souss Chleuhs.
*
Masmouda, ancestors of Atlas Chleuhs
*
Tuareg, a Saharan Berber group.
*
Berber languages*
Barbary Coast*
Tamazgha, Berber name for North Africa.
*
Berber pantheon*
Berberism*
Arabized Berber* Brett, Michael; & Fentress, Elizabeth (1997). The Berbers (The Peoples of Africa). ISBN 0631168524. ISBN 0631207678 (Pbk).
* The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800 by Christopher Ehret
* Egypt In Africa by Celenko
* Stone Age Races of Northwest Africa by L. Cabot-Briggs
* The people of Africa (People of the world series) by Jean Hiernaux
* Britannica 2004
* Encarta 2005
* Blanc, S. H., Grammaire de la Langue Basque (d'apres celle de Larramendi), Lyons & Paris, 1854.
* Entwhistle, W. J. "The Spanish Language," (as cited in Michael Harrison's work, 1974.) London, 1936.
* Fell, Barry, "America B.C.: Ancient Settlers in the New World," Simon & Schuster, New York, 1976.
* Gans Eric Lawrence, "The Origin of Language," Univ. of California Press, Berkeley, 1981.
* Geze, L., Elements de Grammaire Basque, Beyonne, 1873.
* Harrison, Michael, "The Roots of Witchcraft," Citadel Press, Secaucus, N.J., 1974.
* Hualde, J. I., "Basque Phonology," Routledge, London & New York, 1991.
* Martins, J. P. de Oliveira, "A History of Iberian Civilization," Oxford University Press, 1930.
* Osborn, Henry Fairfield, "Men of the Old Stone Age," New York, 1915-1923.
* Renan, Ernest, De l'Origine du Langage, Paris, 1858; La Societe' Berbere, Paris, 1873.
* Ripley, W. Z., "The Races of Europe," D. Appleton & Co., New York, 1899.
* Ryan, William & Pitman, Walter, "Noah's Flood: The new scientific discoveries about the event that changed history," Simon & Schuster, New York, 1998.
* Saltarelli, M., "Basque," Croom Helm, New York, 1988.
*
African Berber Pictures of Berbers, Genetics and History.
*
Images of mixed Berber people*
Imazighen Mixed Berbers.
*
Amazigh Startkabel Netherlands-based portal with several good links to media, forums, historical articles and more
*
Amazigh History French and English-language articles on history and personalities
*
Tawalt.com*
Tamazight.biz*
Monde Berbère also in English
*
Rachid Aadnani on the problem with the term "Berber"*
The NGM Study "Who were the Phoenicians" and the Return of the Phoenicians (includes information that 20% of the Tunisian genepool is derived from the Phoenicians, while most of the rest is Berber)*
Algerian Dardja Online Dictionary: contains many Tamazight terms*
Photo Gallery of Berbers and Touregs from Erg Chebbi area of Moroccan Sahara
