Who are the Berbers?

The nomadic Berbers are the fiercely independent people of the northern Africa sub Sahara who predate the Arab cultures. The name Berber, given to them by the Romans, comes from the Latin Barbar which means barbarian.  They originally inhabited the lands of the Jafara plain in north-western Libya, with Zuara as their main center. During various Arab invasions, however, they were gradually driven back into the Jabal Nafusa area. Their language has survived intact, together with an individuality of cultural style, particularly in the field of architecture known as troglodyte structures. Today's Berbers continue to live a completely separate life from the rest of the Libyan population, and maintain their very different culture with a sense of pride. Although the Berbers are Muslim, the predominant Libyan Sunnite look upon their Ibadite branch as heresy.

Berber Coffee

More on the History of Libyan Berbers.

For an interesting discussion of the Berber as the Libyan Amazon.