The At Mẓab (with emphasis on the z) are part of the Amazigh and constitute an
ancient civilisation for which evidence dates from prehistoric times. Their
history has left the At Mzab in possession of a traditional architecture of
world-wide reputation. Since 1982 the Mzab has been listed among UNESCO’s world
heritage sites. Its palm groves and its technically sophisticated irrigation
systems, its celebrated skill in tapestry, its social structures - these have
sustained and inspired this oasis society through the last twelve centuries.
Whilst the focus of this article is to
bring factual information, it will also succinctly show the viable relationship
between a harsh natural environment and an Amazigh society still deeply
attached to its own values, but which it would be wrong to assume inflexible.
In this society, the Amazigh language is the necessary bedrock for its
existence; religious practices are followed, often more profoundly than many
might imagine: and younger generations are exhorted to live in the world of
humanity which progresses at a dizzying pace, yet learn from and apply the
lessons of the past.
Prehistoric stone-age sites have been located in the region, and the evidence points to the presence of early troglodyte communities with their dwellings carved out of the limestone hillsides. Letters belonging to the Lybico-Berber alphabet have been confirmed throughout the Mzab. Yet an enormous amount of work remains, from exploration and discovery to collecting and deciphering these symbols. Whilst the several dozen uninhabited towns of the Mzab indicate the presence of Amazigh prior to the arrival of the Ibadi movement (we know the Ibadi rite was developed in the area among the schools of Islamic jurisprudence, some thousand years ago) it remains true however that knowledge of the early people groups living in this area before the arrival of Islam is still very limited.
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