Berbers

ber'bers, a people spread over northern Africa, particularly along the southern shore of the Mediterranean. They have a brown complexion, with dark, glossy hair, and are active and robust. Their language and features are akin to the Egyptians, rather than to the Arabs, by whom they have been, in a way, subjugated. They number five or six million and are found chiefly in Algiers, Morocco, and the Sahara, their chief stronghold being the northern Sahara and the Atlas Mountains. The Berbers vary greatly. Many tribes preserve an independence akin to that of Bedouin Arabs. Others have settled down to agriculture, and have become an industrious, skillful race, quite able to manufacture their own guns, powder, and soap. They perform a large part of the agricultural work in Algiers, and are famous raisers of cattle and goats. The mountain tribes that give the Sultan of Morocco so much trouble by carrying off prisoners to be held for ransom are of this race. See Algiers; Vandal