Tamazgha
Encyclopedia
Tamazgha is a Berber word employed for the area more often known as the Maghreb
or North Africa
, covering the area between the Mediterranean Sea
and the Niger River
, from Siwa Oasis
to the Canary Islands
.
Although the root MZGH is very ancient, Tamazgha as a country name is modern, coined in the context of Berber nationalism. It appeared for the first time in Algeria in the seventies. It is not clear at all who invented it. Some say it was Mouloud Mammeri
(1917–1989). According to others, it was Kateb Yacine
(1929–1989).
The main inhabited areas of Tamazgha are northern Libya
and the Atlas Mountains
chain from Tunisia
to Western Sahara
. It corresponds roughly to Herodotus
' Libya
, and to the medieval European term Barbary.
The term is used by the Berber activists because there is no common word that refers to all the geographical territory inhabited by the Berbers, since the Berbers live in several countries, and they are politically not united, many scattered by the World by the Berber Diaspora. So, the name has been created to define an Amazigh/Berber Nation, even if the term is rarely used especially by pro-Arabo pro-Islamic Berbers against Arab domination and unity of their "Brother People". Many philologists sort this term like neologism, built from traditional Berber terms.
Also it has been translated into Spanish as Mazigia. It abbreviated as MZG and used as an alternative international license plate code for some people http://atlasgeo.span.ch/fotw/flags/es%7Dic.html.
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
or North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, covering the area between the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Niger River
Niger River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending about . Its drainage basin is in area. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in southeastern Guinea...
, from Siwa Oasis
Siwa Oasis
The Siwa Oasis is an oasis in Egypt, located between the Qattara Depression and the Egyptian Sand Sea in the Libyan Desert, nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo....
to the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
Although the root MZGH is very ancient, Tamazgha as a country name is modern, coined in the context of Berber nationalism. It appeared for the first time in Algeria in the seventies. It is not clear at all who invented it. Some say it was Mouloud Mammeri
Mouloud Mammeri
Mouloud Mammeri is an Algerian Kabyle writer, anthropologist and linguist. Born on December 28, 1917 in Taourirt Mimoune Ait Yenni in Tizi Ouzou Province, Algeria; died in February 1989 near Aïn Defla in a car accident while returning from a conference in Oujda, Morocco.- Biography :Mouloud...
(1917–1989). According to others, it was Kateb Yacine
Kateb Yacine
Kateb Yacine was an Algerian writer notable for his novels and plays, both in French and Algerian Arabic dialect, and his advocacy of the Algerian Berber cause.-Biography:...
(1929–1989).
The main inhabited areas of Tamazgha are northern Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
and the Atlas Mountains
Atlas Mountains
The Atlas Mountains is a mountain range across a northern stretch of Africa extending about through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The highest peak is Toubkal, with an elevation of in southwestern Morocco. The Atlas ranges separate the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert...
chain from Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
to Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
. It corresponds roughly to Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
' Libya
Ancient Libya
The Latin name Libya referred to the region west of the Nile Valley, generally corresponding to modern Northwest Africa. Climate changes affected the locations of the settlements....
, and to the medieval European term Barbary.
The term is used by the Berber activists because there is no common word that refers to all the geographical territory inhabited by the Berbers, since the Berbers live in several countries, and they are politically not united, many scattered by the World by the Berber Diaspora. So, the name has been created to define an Amazigh/Berber Nation, even if the term is rarely used especially by pro-Arabo pro-Islamic Berbers against Arab domination and unity of their "Brother People". Many philologists sort this term like neologism, built from traditional Berber terms.
Also it has been translated into Spanish as Mazigia. It abbreviated as MZG and used as an alternative international license plate code for some people http://atlasgeo.span.ch/fotw/flags/es%7Dic.html.