List of Berbers

This is a list of famous Berber people.

In ancient times

Egyptian Pharaohs

* Ramses II, according to L. Balout, C. Roubet and C. Desroches-Noblecourt, study titled 'La Momie de Ramsès II: Contribution Scientifique à l'Égyptologie (1985).' Balout and Roubet concluded that the "the anthropological study and the microscopic analysis" of the pharaoh's hair showed that Ramses II was "a fair-skinned man related to the Prehistoric and Antiquity Mediterranean peoples, or briefly, of the Berber of Africa."
* Shoshenq I, Egyptian Pharaoh of Libyan origin, founder of the Twenty-second dynasty of Egypt ["He came from a line of princes or sheikhs of Libyan tribal descent", The New Encyclopaedia Britannica , [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9067329/Sheshonk-I#179856.hook Encyclopaedia Britannica] , 2002, v.7, p.733.] .

Kings of Numidia

* Masinissa, King of Numidia, North Africa, present day Algeria and Tunisia
* Jugurtha, King of Numidia
* Juba II, King of Numidia

Roman emperors and generals

*Septimus Severus (Roman emperor from the mainly Punic Libyan city of Lepcis Magna, founded by Phoenicians)
*Caracalla, his son
* Macrinus, Roman emperor for 14 months in 217 and 218 ["Macrinus, by race a Moor, from Caesarea", Cassius Dio, "Dio's Rome", Kessinger Publishing, 2004, v.6, p.21 ]
* Clodius Albinus, governor of Britannia
* Lusius Quietus, governor of Judaea and one of the best Trajan's chief generals ["Lusius Quietus was a Moor, himself a leader of the Moors", Cassius Dio, "Dio's Rome", Kessinger Publishing, 2004, v.5, p.117 ]
* Quintus Lollius Urbicus, governor of Britannia from 138 to 144 ["... a large Berber landowner like Lollius Urbicus governing Britain and conquering the Scottish lowlands", Colin Wells, "The Roman Empire", Harvard University Press, 2004, p.151]

Writers

*Terence, (Publius Terentius Afer), Roman writer ["...the playwright Terence was a Berber", Suzan Raven, "Rome in Africa", Routledge, 1993, p.122]

*Apuleius, Roman writer ("half-Numidian, half-Gaetulian")"Berbers : [...] The best known of them were the Roman author Apuleius, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus, and Augustine of Hippo, whose mother was a berber", Encyclopedia Americana", Scholastic Library Publishing, 2005, v.3, p.569]

*Priscian, Latin grammarian of the 5th Century, born in modern Algeria

*Marcus Cornelius Fronto, Roman grammarian, rhetorician and advocate, was born at Cirta in modern Algeria [André Berthier, "L'Algérie et son passé (1951)", Picard, 1951, p. 25]

Christians

*Tertullian, an early Christian theologian (born in the highly multiethnic, Phoenician-founded city of Carthage) ["Un Berbère converti...", Charles-André Julien, "Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord (1951)", Payot, 2001, p. 226]
*Saint Augustine of Hippo, from Tagaste, was Amazigh
*Saint Monica of Hippo, Saint Augustine's mother
*Arius, who proposed the doctrine of Arianism
*Donatus Magnus, leader of the Donatist schism
*Gelasius I, Pope between 492-496

Others

*Tacfarinas, who fought the Romans in the Aures Mountains, ["L'insurrection du berbère Tacfarinas...", Charles-André Julien, "Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord (1951)", Payot, 1951, v.1, p. 126]
*Firmus, who fought the Romans Between 372 and 375 [Charles-André Julien, "Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord (1951)", Payot, 1951, v.1, p.219-222]
*Gildo, who fought the Romans in 398 [Charles-André Julien, "Histoire de l'Afrique du Nord (1951)", Payot, 1951, v.1, p.219-222]

In medieval times

* Abd ar-Rahman I (731-788), his mother was a Berber ["Abd-ar-Rahman had lived for some time with his Berber mother's tribe", William Montgomery Watt, "A History of Islamic Spain", Edinburgh University Press, 1996, p.29.] .
* Al-Mansur (712-775), his mother was a Berber ["his mother was a Berber slave", The New Encyclopaedia Britannica , Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2002, v.7, p.793.] .
*Tariq ibn Ziyad, one of the leaders of the Moorish conquest of Iberia in 711 [Philip Khuri Hitti, "The Arabs, A Short History", Regnery Gateway, 1996, p.82 ] .
*Adrian of Canterbury, Abbot of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury
*Dihya or al-Kahina
*Aksil or Kusayla
*Salih ibn Tarif of the Berghouata
*Ibn Tumart, founder of the Almohad dynasty
*Yusuf ibn Tashfin, founder of the Almoravid dynasty
* Ibn Battuta (1304 - 1377), Moroccan traveller and explorer
*Abu Yaqub Yusuf I, who had the Giralda in Seville built.
*Abu Yaqub Yusuf II, who had the Torre del Oro in Seville built.
*Ziri ibn Manad founder of the Zirid dynasty
*Muhammad Awzal (ca. 1680-1749), prolific Sous Berber poet (see also "Ocean of Tears")
* Muhammad al-Jazuli, author of the Dala'il al-Khairat, Sufi
* Abu Ali al-Hassan al-Yusi
* Imam Buseiri, poet and author of the famous poem Qasida Burda - lived in Alexandria

In modern times

Politicians

*Mohammed Arav Bessaoud, Described as the spiritual father of Berberism, Bessaoud was a Muhjahedin during the war of liberation 1954-62, founder of the Académie berbère in Paris during the 1960s, designer of the modern Berber flag, author of several books on the War of Independence, its aftermath and the history of the Berbers, he was one of the leading lights of Berberism during the 20th and early 21st centuries.
*Saïd Sadi, secularist politician.
*Hocine Aït Ahmed, Algerian revolutionary fighter and secularist politician.
*Sidi Said, Leader of the Algerian syndicat of workers : UGTA.
*Khalida Toumi, Algerian feminist and secularist, currently spokesperson for the Algerian government.
*Ahmed Ouyahia, Prime Minister of Algeria
*Belaïd Abrika, one of the spokesmen of the Arouch.
*Ferhat Mehenni, politician and singer who militates for the autonomy of Kabylie.
*Saadeddine Othmani, deputy of Inezgane, an outer suburb of Agadir, is the leader of the Justice and Development Party (Islamist).
*Driss Jettou, Prime Minister of Morocco.

Figures of the Algerian resistance and revolution

*Abane Ramdane, Algerian revolutionary fighter, assassinated in 1957 in an internal purge.
*Krim Belkacem, Algerian revolutionary fighter, assassinated in 1970, allegedly by Algerian secret services.
*Colonel Amirouche, Algerian revolutionary fighter, killed by French troops in 1959.
*Lalla Fatma n Soumer, woman who led western Kabylie in battle against French troops.

Figures of the Libyan resistance and revolution

*Sulaiman al-Barouni(1872-1940), Libyan revolutionary fighter, was ruler (wali) of Tripolitania and part of the resistance movement against the Italian military occupation of Libya from 1911 to 1916.
*Khalifa Ben Asker, Libyan revolutionary fighter, was leader of the resistance movement against the Italian military occupation of Libya in the western mountain . Executed by hanging in a public place in 1922.

Artists

*Takfarinas - Kabyle singer
*Ait Menguellet - Kabyle singer
*Lounes Matoub, Berberist and secularist singer assassinated in 1998.
*Idir - Kabyle singer
*Si Mohand, Kabyle folk poet.
*Souad Massi, a young, female Kabyle singer who performs mainly in French and Maghrebin Arabic.
*Aît Ouarab Mohamed Idir Halo (Al Anka), Chaabi singer in Both Kabyle and Algerian Arabic.
*El Hachemi Guerouabi, Chaabi Singer from Mostaghanem, North of algéria.
*Cheb-i-sabbah - DJ and composer in Algeria
*Bachir Bensaddek Canadian director.

Writers

*Jean Amrouche (1906-1962), writer and Taos Amrouche's brother.
*Taos Amrouche (March 4, 1913 in Tunis, Tunisia - April 2, 1976 in Saint-Michel-l'Observatoire, France), Algerian writer and singer.
*Mohamed Chafik, Moroccan writer and the dean of the IRCAM.
*Salem Chaker, Berberist, linguist, cultural and political activist, writer, and director of Berber at the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales in Paris.
*Tahar Djaout, writer and journalist assassinated by the GIA in 1993.
*Mouloud Feraoun, writer assassinated by the OAS.
*Mouloud Mammeri, writer, anthropologist and linguist. His interest and work about Tamazight is behind the popular galvanization towards the Amazigh (Berber) culture and language.
*Ali Yahya Mua'amar, Libyan Islamic Scholar of the Abathi School of Thought, was imprisoned and persecuted under the Gaddafi regime in Libya.

port

*Zinedine Zidane (Born 1972), French football superstar.
*Karim Benzema (Born 1987), Olympique Lyon football player.
*Rabah Madjer, Algerian football superstar, Winner of the European Champion's League in 1987 with Porto FC
*Mustapha Hadji (Born 1972), Moroccan soccer player nominated best African player of the year 1998.
*Tarik El Taib (Born 1977), Libyan football superstar.
*Ibrahim Afellay (Born 1986), PSV Eindhoven and Netherlands National Football Team football player.
*Khalid Boulahrouz (Born 1981), Dutch defender of Berber origin who is currently with English Chelsea F.C.

Others

*Abd el-Krim, leader of the Rif guerrillas against the Spanish and French colonizers.
*Assia Djebar, Algerian novelist
*Ali Lmrabet, Moroccan journalist.
*Kateb Yacine, Algerian Writer.
*Mohamed Choukri (famous writer)
*Liamine Zeroual, President of Algeria between 1994-1999.
*Mohamed Chafik
*Tinariwen - critically acclaimed band of Tuareg musicians
*Erika Sawajiri - Japanese actress. Japanese, Algerian-French mix.
*Kamel Ouali - Choreographer, Dance teacher, Teacher on the french reality TV show Star Academy France.

Famous people who were either Berber or Punic"Punics were a biological and cultural mix of Berbers and Phoenicians" (le punique est né de la rencontre de deux mondes, l'un autochtone, l'autre oriental, il est un métissage ethnique et culturel), Nacéra Benseddik, "Thagaste, Souk Ahras, Patrie de saint Augustin", Inas, 2004, p. 25

*Cyprian (also born in Carthage)

French people who have some Berber ancestors

*Édith Piaf - one of France's most loved singers, her grandmother was Berber.
*Isabelle Adjani - actress
*Jacques Villeret - actor
*Daniel Prévost - comedian
*Marcel Mouloudji - singer and actor
*Alain Bashung - singer, songwriter and actor
*Ortal - singer
*Dany Boon - actor [ [http://www.agoravox.fr/article.php3?id_article=36682 Sa vie et son parcours sur agoravox.fr] ]
*Jacques Derrida - North African Jewish philosopher

Other people with Berber ancestry

*Morgan Freeman - African-American actor (Recent DNA tests link his ancestry to the Tuareg of Northwest Africa, as profiled on the PBS series "African American Lives 2")

Notes