The word 'Berber' comes from the roman and it means 'Barbarian'.
The Berbers ruled parts of Spain from the 11th to the 13th century. These berber dynasties were the Almoravids (1061-1145) and the Almohads (1121-1269).
After the Byzantine invasion they were forced to live in the desert.
The berbers have their own language, traditions and culture; they became muslims when the Islamic Arabs arrived but adapted the Islam to their convenience.
Today there are many Berbers still living in Morocco and Argelia and in less number in Egypt, Tunisia and Lybia.