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The Amazigh, are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa. They number approximately 30 million and are distributed across several areas of North Africa that is Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, as well as some Saharan regions in Mauritania, Niger, Chad, Mali and Senegal.
Let's talk about their features. While there is no singular "Berber look," we can find certain features like light skin, blue or green eyes, and straight hair among them, especially in the Rif and Kabylie regions. Some other Berber groups of northern Mali, Niger, and Mauritania, such as the Touareg, have bigger fractions of sub-Saharan genetic makeup and hence can look black or mixed. This diversity in phenotype is a testament to the Amazigh's extensive genetic mixing over millennia. Amazigh themselves enclose genetically diverse groups and have a high degree of genetic heterogeneity. It is therefore difficult to assign a single subset of features to Amazigh.
Genetic data from present-day populations suggests that North African ancestry has contributions from four main sources: (i) an autochthonous Maghrebi component related to a back migration to Africa 12,000 years ago from Western Eurasia, these are essentially Neolinthic Anatolian farmers; (ii) a Middle Eastern component probably associated with the Arab conquest; (iii) a sub-Saharan component derived from trans-Saharan migrations; and (iv) a European component that has been linked to recent historic movements.”
The Tuareg Berbers are of the same stock as the (eurasian) North African Berbers. The difference lies in their migration southwards and their increased interactions (trade, marriage, and slave trade) with black Africans who had been living in the Sahara and the Sahel for thousands of years, resulting in a higher concentration of West African components in their DNA.
Here are 10 Surprising facts about the Amazigh that you probably didn’t know.

Research reveals strong genetic affinities between the Somali people of the Horn of Africa and the Amazigh. An average Somali has about 10 to 20 percent Berber DNA.
Did you know that the term Berber was first used centuries ago by foreigners and is a variation of the Greek word barbaros (barbarian)? Interestingly, foreigners used the term to describe anyone who didn't speak Greek! It was never intended to offend—unlike the modern day term that is used to describe an uncivilized group of people. Nowadays, Berbers proudly call themselves amazigh , tamazight or imazighen (plural), meaning ‘free men’ or ‘noble people.’
The Tamazight language's root has an impressive 38 consonants and only 3 vowels! Did you know that Berber languages share similarities with Germanic languages? This is largely due to the fact that the Vandals, a Germanic tribe, ruled North Africa for the better part of one hundred years!
In the years following the spread of Christianity across North Africa, many Berbers lived as Christians and Jews. The Islamic conquest of the 7th century brought with it forced allegiance to Islamic rule, against which the Berbers fought strongly but to which they finally submitted.
The Moroccan population is approximately 40% Berber.
The Egyptian pharaoh Shoshenq I founder of the 22nd Egyptian dynasty was an Amazigh (Berber) who managed to invade ancient Palestine.
They've kept their cuisines for centuries because they're so good. Some traditional recipes even spread across North Africa because of their deliciousness. Some of the main dishes that they have been hanging on to for a very long time include Couscous, Pastillas, Tajines, Bourjeje, and Tahricht.
Traditional Amazighi women commonly tattooed their faces. It's interesting to note that Islamic law prohibits both facial tattoos and tattoos in general. But somehow, in the adoption of Islam by the Amazighi and the development of Amazigh identity, this practice has survived to this day.
While Arabs may be a patriarchal society, Amazighi people are traditionally matriarchal. On the surface, it may appear that the husband or men in general hold the official positions and places of power, but behind closed doors, women have the final say. In some Tuareg groups, like in Mauritania, a woman is free to divorce a man and take away everything. In Algeria, Kahina, a warrior queen, is recognized for leading a successful resistance against Arab invaders.
Some well-known Amazigh people include Zinadine Zidane, a French footballer whose parents are Kabyles from Algeria; Ibn Battuta, a renowned traveler and scholar, was of Berber descent and is known for his extensive journeys throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe during the 14th century; and Tariq Ibn Ziyad, who was a Berber commander, served the Ummayad Empire and conquered the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD, responsible for spreading Islam and Islamic culture across the region.

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