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بني مزاب | |
|---|---|
 Photograph of a Mozabite, May 19, 1889 | |
| Total population | |
| 150,000–300,000 (2015)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| M'zab valley, Algeria | |
| Languages | |
| Mozabite and Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Ibadi Islam[2] and Judaism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Other Berbers[3] |
The Mozabite people or Banu Mzab (Arabic: بني مزاب) are a Berber ethnic group inhabiting the M'zab natural region in the northern Sahara in Algeria, numbering about 150,000 to 300,000 people.[1] They speak primarily the Mozabite language, one of the Zenati languages in the Berber branch of the Afroasiatic family. Mozabites are primarily Ibadi Muslims, but there was a small population of Jews as well.[4]
Mozabites mainly live in five oases; namely, Ghardaïa, Beni Isguen, El Atteuf, Melika and Bounoura, as well as two other isolated oases farther north: Berriane and El Guerrara. Ghardaïa is the capital of the confederation, followed in importance by Beni Isguen, the chief commercial centre.
- ^ a b Minahan, James B. (2016-08-01). Encyclopedia of Stateless Nations: Ethnic and National Groups around the World, 2nd Edition: Ethnic and National Groups around the World. Abc-Clio. p. 284. ISBN 978-1-61069-954-9.
- ^ "Mʾzabite | Berber, Algeria, Saharan | Britannica".
- ^ "L'Aménagement linguistique dans le monde: Page d'accueil".
- ^ Behar, Doron M., et al. "The genome-wide structure of the Jewish people." Nature 466.7303 (2010): 238.