Amazigh
Identity Map

Earliest Libyco-Berber inscriptions. Geometric signs carved alongside rock art in the High Atlas (Oukaïmeden, Azib n'Ikkis) and across the Sahara.

Dougga bilingual inscription (Tunisia). Punic-Libyc text on Prince Ateban's mausoleum. Becomes the key to deciphering 22 of 24 Eastern Libyco-Berber characters.

Roman annexation of Mauretania. Libyco-Berber writing begins to decline in northern Africa under Roman, then Byzantine, administration. Survives in the Sahara among the Tuareg.

Arab conquest reaches Morocco. Uqba ibn Nafi's expedition. Gradual Islamization of Berber populations begins — Arabic becomes the language of religion, administration, and trade. Berber remains the spoken language of the mountains.

Great Berber Revolt. Zenata chieftain Khalid ibn Hamid al-Zanati leads Berber rebels against the Umayyad Caliphate. Major victories at the Battle of the Nobles and Battle of Bagdoura. Morocco breaks from caliphal control.

Almoravid Empire. Sanhaja Lamtuna Berbers from Mauritania conquer Morocco and al-Andalus. Arabic remains language of court and religion; Berber language maintains dominance in daily life.

Almohad Empire. Masmuda Berbers under Ibn Tumart (from Tinmal, High Atlas) unify the entire Maghreb and al-Andalus. The last great Berber empire — but Arabic consolidates as the administrative language.

Banu Hilal and Banu Ma'qil Arab Bedouins settle across Moroccan plains. Zenata and some Masmuda lowland populations begin shifting to Arabic. Mountains and south remain Amazigh-speaking.

Marinid Dynasty. Zenata Berbers rule Morocco but administer in Arabic. Berber identity fragments as political power and prestige shift to Arabized urban culture.

French Protectorate begins. Colonial "Berber policy" (politique berbère) attempts to separate Amazigh from Arab populations, codifying customary law separately. The Berber Dahir of 1930 becomes a rallying point for Moroccan nationalism — but also permanently links Amazigh identity to a divisive colonial strategy.

Berber Dahir. French decree placing Amazigh regions under customary law instead of Islamic law. Provokes massive nationalist protests in Arab cities. The nationalists' slogan — "Islam is in danger" — establishes the Arab-Islamic frame that will dominate post-independence Morocco, marginalizing Amazigh identity as a colonial relic.

Moroccan independence. Arabization policy begins immediately. Arabic declared sole official language. Amazigh language excluded from schools, courts, civil registry. Amazigh first names banned. The new state treats Berber identity as a threat to national unity — a direct legacy of the French Berber Dahir controversy.

First post-independence census. 32–34% of Moroccans reported as Berber-speaking. Down from estimated 40–45% at the start of colonialism. The trajectory of decline accelerates with urbanization, schooling exclusively in Arabic, and the prestige economy of Arabized cities.

Académie Berbère (Agraw Imazighen) founded in Paris by Kabyle Algerians. Develops Neo-Tifinagh as a modern alphabet. Creates calendars, publications, and the Yaz symbol (ⵣ) that will become the Amazigh flag emblem. Seeds of a pan-Amazigh identity movement.

Amazigh flag designed. Blue (Mediterranean), green (nature/Atlas), yellow (Sahara) horizontal stripes with the red Tifinagh letter Yaz (ⵣ) at center. Begins appearing at demonstrations in the 1980s.

Berber Spring (Algeria). Authorities cancel a lecture by Kabyle poet Mouloud Mammeri. Weeks of protests and arrests. The event catalyzes Amazigh cultural movements across North Africa. In Morocco, the movement proclaims itself "Amazigh Cultural Movement" under intensifying state repression.

Agadir Charter. First common platform of the Moroccan Amazigh Movement. Demands linguistic rights, cultural recognition, and historical justice. Addressed to the Royal Cabinet and political forces.

King Hassan II acknowledges Amazigh heritage in a speech. Announces that Amazigh dialects will acquire formal status. Tamazight TV summaries begin — three times daily in Tashelhit, Tamazight, and Tarifit. A cautious opening.

King Mohammed VI creates the Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM) by royal decree (Dahir 1-01-299, 17 October). Board of experts, artists, and activists — all royally appointed. Tasked with standardizing the language, developing teaching materials, and promoting Amazigh culture. A landmark, but critics note IRCAM answers to the king, not the movement.

IRCAM adopts Neo-Tifinagh as the official script for Standard Moroccan Amazigh. Controversial: the decision was "political rather than practical" — most speakers do not use Tifinagh. The choice was a compromise between Latin-script advocates (associated with Western influence) and Arabic-script advocates (associated with Islamic identity). Teaching in schools officially begins.

Census counts 28.2% Amazigh speakers: Tashelhit 14.6%, Central Tamazight 8.8%, Tarifit 4.8%.

Tamazight TV channel launches — Morocco's first dedicated Amazigh television.

Arab Spring protests. February 20 Movement prominently includes Amazigh demands. New constitution recognizes Tamazight as an official language alongside Arabic (Article 5). First such recognition in a North African state's foundational document.

Census counts 26% Amazigh speakers: Tashelhit 14.1%, Central Tamazight 7.9%, Tarifit 4.0%. Amazigh organizations contest methodology.

Organic Law 26-16 finally passed — operationalizes Article 5 of the 2011 Constitution. Provides for Tamazight use in parliament, public institutions, courts, and workplaces. Eight years after the constitutional recognition.

Yennayer (Amazigh New Year, ~January 13) officially recognized as a national paid holiday by King Mohammed VI on 3 May. Morocco joins Algeria (2018) in formal recognition. But the same month, the Education Minister declares full Tamazight teaching rollout impossible before 2030.

24.8% of Moroccans speak Tamazight: Tashelhit 14.2%, Central Tamazight 7.4%, Tarifit 3.2%. 19.9% in urban areas, 33.3% in rural areas. Only 1.5% of literate Moroccans can read and write Berber. Only 31% of primary schools teach Tamazight. Amazigh Movement rejects the figures as "cultural and linguistic genocide" — claims the real rate is 65–85%.

Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture demarcates 111,000 hectares of Indigenous Amazigh collective lands (Official Bulletin No. 7282). Part of a larger plan to privatize 15 million hectares of "collective lands" (Melkisation) — enacted without Amazigh Free, Prior and Informed Consent.