Quick answer: Berber, or Amazigh, people are the indigenous inhabitants of North Africa, and around Merzouga some families still live semi-nomadic lives, herding goats and camels and moving between grazing areas. Their culture centres on hospitality, mint tea, the Tamazight language, weaving and music. You can visit a nomad family respectfully on a guided 4x4 excursion with a local team.
Many of us on the team grew up with grandparents who lived in tents and moved with the seasons. The desert around Erg Chebbi is not just a landscape of dunes; it is a home with its own language, customs and memory. This is our introduction to Berber culture and nomad life in the Sahara, written for travellers who want to understand a little more about the people they meet.
Who are the Amazigh?
The word “Berber” is widely used, but many people prefer Amazigh (plural Imazighen), often translated as “free people”. The Amazigh have lived across North Africa, from Morocco to Egypt's Siwa oasis, for thousands of years, long before the arrival of Arabs in the 7th century. Today a large share of Moroccans have Amazigh roots, and many speak one of the country's Amazigh languages.
Around Merzouga, the main tribe is the Ait Khebbash, historically a nomadic group of the Tafilalet region. You will also meet the Gnawa community of Khamlia, whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa, and Arabic-speaking families. The region is a meeting place of cultures, as it has been since the days of the trans-Saharan caravans.
Language and symbols
Morocco has three main Amazigh languages: Tarifit in the north, Tamazight in the Middle Atlas and the south-east, including Merzouga, and Tachelhit in the south-west. Since 2011 Amazigh has been an official language of Morocco alongside Arabic, and you will see its alphabet, Tifinagh, on road signs and public buildings.
The most recognisable symbol is the letter yaz (ⵣ), which represents the free person and appears in the centre of the blue, green and yellow Amazigh flag. The Amazigh New Year, Yennayer, falls in mid-January and has been an official public holiday in Morocco since 2024.
A few words to try:
- Azul – hello
- Tanmirt – thank you
- Mani ghrik? – how are you?
- Atay – tea
How nomads live in the desert
Nomadic life has always followed water and grazing. Families move their herds of goats, sheep and camels depending on rainfall, sometimes staying in one place for months, sometimes moving on after a few weeks.
The tent
The traditional nomad tent, the khaima, is woven from goat and camel hair by the women of the family. The dark fabric provides shade by day, and when it rains the fibres swell to keep water out. Inside you will find woven rugs, blankets, cooking pots, a teapot and very little else; everything must be portable.
Daily life
- Water comes from wells, sometimes several kilometres away, carried in jerrycans by donkey or truck.
- Food is simple: bread baked in the sand or on a clay plate, lentils, goat's milk, dates and occasionally meat.
- Livestock is the family's wealth. Camels are prized for milk, transport and resilience.
- Children increasingly attend school in nearby villages, sometimes staying with relatives during the week.
Nomad life is changing
We want to be honest here: traditional nomadism is declining. Years of drought, the drying up of wells, and the attractions of school, healthcare and work have led many families to settle in villages such as Merzouga, Hassi Labied and Taouz, often keeping a few animals and a tent nearby. Tourism has become an important income for some, through camel trekking, camps and craft sales. Many families live between the two worlds: a house in the village, and a tent in the desert for part of the year.
For a traveller, this means the nomads you visit are real families living real lives, not performers. A respectful visit can be a genuine exchange, and a fair contribution helps support them.
Hospitality and mint tea
Hospitality is the heart of Amazigh culture. A guest arriving at a tent will almost always be offered tea, often with bread, dates or peanuts. Preparing tea is a ritual: the host rinses the green tea, adds mint and sugar, and pours from a height to create foam, often serving three glasses. Accepting at least one glass is polite. It is common to sit on the rugs, remove your shoes at the tent entrance, and let the conversation, often translated by your guide, flow at desert pace.
Music, crafts and festivals
- Music: Amazigh music in the south-east is based on frame drums (bendir), clapping and call-and-response singing. In Khamlia, Gnawa musicians play hypnotic rhythms with qraqeb metal castanets and the three-stringed guembri.
- Weaving: rugs and blankets carry geometric symbols that tell stories of protection, fertility and family.
- Jewellery: silver pieces such as the triangular tizerzai fibula, and the protective hand of Fatima (khamsa).
- Festivals: weddings and seasonal gatherings (moussems) bring families together from across the region with music and dancing.
How to visit a nomad family respectfully
- Go with a local guide who knows the family and can translate. Turning up unannounced is not appropriate.
- Dress modestly and remove shoes before entering the tent.
- Ask before taking photos, especially of women and children, and accept a refusal.
- Bring practical gifts if you wish, such as tea, sugar or school supplies, rather than sweets or cash for children.
- Buy directly if a family sells crafts, and do not haggle too hard.
- Take nothing but memories: no litter, and do not disturb animals or wells.
Before your visit, you might find it helpful to read our guides to what to wear in Morocco and tipping etiquette in Morocco, both of which apply in the desert too. Food lovers will also enjoy our guide to Moroccan food on a desert trip, including nomad-style sand-baked bread.
Meet the desert's people with us
Our 4x4 desert excursion to Khamlia, nomad families and fossil sites is the easiest way to experience Berber and Gnawa culture around Merzouga, with a local guide who can translate and explain. Contact our team to add it to your desert stay, and we will share a glass of tea with you in the dunes.
