The merchants of North Africa historically formed an important link between the Mediterranean World and Sub-Saharan Africa. Their camel caravans have crossed the wide Sahara desert since at least Roman times. Among their wares they carried gold, ivory, slaves, and other valuables from West Africa, stopping at oases along carefully regulated routes. Berber merchants grew wealthy and powerful under this system. They not only acted as traders themselves, but as guides across the desert. The families who controlled the caravans were often the most influential in their region. While this form of transport grew less important as naval routes expanded, the caravans continue today as both an economic and tourist activity.

At home, members of Berber cultures were more likely to be farmers, herders, and craftsmen. Most people lived in small, tribal communities, where they tended crops and raised livestock. This pattern of life is still followed in many Berber regions. Among their traditional staple crops are wheat, barley, cotton, olives, almonds, citrus, turnips, figs, broad beans, and chickpeas. Later, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, apples, and rice were introduced as well. Common livestock include sheep, goats, cattle, and poultry. Today, tribes focused on herding are more likely to lead a nomadic or semi-nomadic existence. The people of the deep desert, such as the Tuaregs, originally relied on trade and tributes for survival. Today, herding, limited agriculture, and labor supplement their income.

The economic hub of Berber communities is the souk, or marketplace. These markets are typically held once per week in a designated locations. Locals bring their crafts and produce as well as imported goods to buy and sell. These might include pottery, carpets, clothing, leather goods, jewelry, metalwork, and various foods. In earlier times, trade was conducted mainly by men, but women participate as well. Modern souks range from authentic local markets to tourist-oriented destinations. Rural poverty and illiteracy, coupled with community erosion through migrant labor, remain major economic issues in the nations of the Maghreb.

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References

Goodman, Jane. Berber Culture on the World Stage: From Village to Video. Indiana University Press. 2005.

Hart, David M. Tribe and Society in Rural Morocco. Routledge. 2014.

Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce. The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States. University of Texas Press. 2011.

Nisan, Mordechai. Minorities in the Middle East: A History of Struggle and Self-Expression. 2nd ed. McFarland. 2012.

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