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The Berbers

The Berbers were the original Moroccan settlers, but with the arrival of the Arabs at the end of the seventh century, they lost their dominance. Today, the mountains are their preserve, while in the urban areas there is much more of a mix of Arab and Berber.

After some early Jewish and Christian conversions, the Berbers adopted Islam, but still continue to practise some pre-Islamic beliefs. All mountain villages have at least one mosque. Some of these are just basic house-like structures, the only external hint of their identity being a loudspeaker on the roof to call the faithful to prayer five times a day. The more prosperous villages have a much more elaborate mosque with minaret.

As is the case in many developing countries, rural emigration is prevalent – with young men and husbands leaving their mountain homes for the ever-expanding urban concrete jungles, many with little prospect of a earning a regular wage. Those that do find work either in Morocco or one of the larger European cities can be away from their mountain homes for ten months in the year, sometimes even longer. Playing catch-up with Europe and the West by leap-frogging into the digital age, Morocco is changing fast, particularly in the north of the country. Radical Islam, hashish production for Europe, large numbers of young unemployed graduates and the long-running wrangle in the western Sahara all continue to occupy the energies of King Mohammed VI and his elected government.