Berbers
The Berbers are a people ethnically indigenous to North Africa west of the Nile Valley. Today, most of the Berber people live in Northern African countries such as Algeria and Morocco. (wiki)
Sites must include physical remains or historic contributions made by Berber groups. Tuareg are considered as Berber.
Connected Sites
| Site | Rationale | Link |
| Agadez | The historic centre of Agadez dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, when the Sultanate of Aïr established itself there, encouraging the consolidation of Tuareg tribes and the development of trans-Saharan economic and cultural exchanges. (Nom file) The city is still inhabited mainly be Tuaregs. | |
| Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad | The Al Qal'a of Beni Hammad - "served as the first capital of the Hammadid dynasty." ,,,,"The Hammadids were a Sanhaja Berber dynasty who ruled an area roughly corresponding to north-eastern modern Algeria for about a century and a half (1008-1152)," (both Wiki) | |
| Ancient Ksour | Ouadane wurde 1147 vom Berberstamm der Idalwa el-Hadji gegründet... (Wiki) / Tichitt "was one of the main towns of the vast Berber empire on the edges of the Sahara, and in the following century it became an Almoravid town, founded by members of the Chorfa clan." (AB ev) | |
| Dougga/Thugga | Thugga's size, its well-preserved monuments and its rich Numidian-Berber, Punic, ancient Roman and Byzantine history make it exceptional (wiki) Mausoleum of Ateban is described as Numidian | |
| Ghadames | La popolazione locale - costituita in prevalenza da berberi sedentari, ma la citté - anche frequentata da tuareg nomadi... La lingua parlata prevalentemente a Ghadames - un dialetto berbero. (Wiki) | |
| Kairouan | In 745, Kharijite Berbers captured Kairouan, which was already at that time a developed city with luxuriant gardens and olive groves. (Wiki) | |
| Kasbah of Algiers | The current urban setting was designed in the tenth century by the Berbers during the Zirid dynasty. It was then enriched by contributions from other Berber dynasties which successively dominated the central Maghreb. (French Wiki) | |
| Ksar of Aït Ben Haddou | Les habitants de ces douars sont pour la plupart des berbères anciennement nomades qui ont ensuite choisi la sédentarité pour des raisons diverses. (Wiki) | |
| M'Zab Valley | The local language of the Mzab is Mozabite (Tumẓabt), a branch of the Zenati group of Berber languages. | |
| Medina of Fez | Fez was "founded" by the Idrisids c789 and is a Berber word. Among significant buildings founded by the Berber dynasties are the University of which Wiki says "The most extensive reconstruction was carried out in 1135 under the patronage of the Almoravid ruler sultan Ali Ibn Yusuf who ordered the extension of the mosque from 18 to 21 aisles, expanding the structure to more than 3,000 square meters. The mosque acquired its present appearance at this time, featuring horseshoe arches and ijmiz frames decorated with beautiful geometrical and floral Andalusian art, bordered with Kufic calligraphy." and "The principal monuments in the medina, the residences and public buildings, date from the Marinid period. The madrasas are a hallmark of Marinid architecture, with its striking blending of Andalusian and Almohad traditions. Between 1271 and 1357 seven madrassas were built in Fes, the style of which has come to be typical of Fassi architecture." | |
| Medina of Marrakesh | Marrakesh was "founded" c1062 by an Almoravid and contains to this day some buildings from that time (albeit that they may have undergone significant reconstruction(s) - The Red walls and the Kououria and Ben Youssef mosques. Also the Djma el-Fnaa dates from that time | |
| Meknes | The name goes back to the Meknassa, the great Berber tribe that dominated Eastern Morocco (AB ev) | |
| Risco Caido | The archaeological and historic testimony of the property bear out the fact that this culture stems from the original populations from the Berber Maghreb (AB ev) | |
| Tassili n'Ajjer | The rock art includes Libyc and Tifinagh inscriptions (ancient and recent Tuareg/Berber script). The artists of the Horse Period art were ancestral Berbers, some of whose descendants are the modern Tuareg. | |
| Timbuktu | In the first half of the 15th century the Tuareg tribes took control of the city for a short period until the expanding Songhay Empire absorbed the city in 1468. (Wiki). The city featured a Tuareg majority until the Tuareg Rebellion and the following Northern Mali Conflict. | |
| Tipasa | "Tomb of the Chretienne". This is actually the tomb of Juba II a Numidian king of Berber stock |
Suggestions?
Do you know of another WHS we could connect to Berbers?
A connection should:
- Not be "self evident"
- Link at least 3 different sites
- Not duplicate or merely subdivide the "Category" assignment already identified on this site.
- Add some knowledge or insight (whether significant or trivial!) about WHS for the users of this site
- Be explained, with reference to a source