Cultural Capacities of Maghreb and Algerian Amazigh People

The Amazigh people are an ethnic group that has been living in North Africa for a long time and have their own identity, culture and customs; an identity that includes language, tradition, festivals, tribe and rituals. Also, their language is a vital element in their life and the point of their distinction from other ethnicities. After the arrival of Islam in this region, most of the Amazigh people embraced the religion of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him and his Household) and gave up their previous walks and faiths such as worshiping the moon and the sun or worshiping objects or animals. Gradually and with the spread of Islam in North Africa, the effort to preserve the ethnic and racial identity among some Amazigh people intensified and they sometimes fought with the local governments. Geographically, the Amazigh live in the African countries of Algeria, Maghreb, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. That’s why studying and knowing the culture of this people and establishing a relationship with them is of a great importance for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, in the present paper, the identity of the Amazigh people will be mentioned first, then the challenges and gaps of this ethnicity in general will be addressed, and finally their capacities for the Islamic Republic of Iran will be discussed.