Cultures
Kabyle
Peoples
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The Kabyle, Iqbayliyen, are a Berber people of Kabylia, the mountainous region of northern Algeria east of Algiers, and the largest Berber-speaking population in the country. Their language, Taqbaylit, belongs to the Berber branch of the Afro-Asiatic family and has carried a modern written literature and a political movement for its own recognition since the twentieth century. Most Kabyle people are Sunni Muslim, a minority is Christian, and a tradition of venerating local saints inherited from before Islam still shapes devotional practice within Kabyle Islam today.
Facts
Origins
Origin RegionKabylia, the mountainous region of northern Algeria centered on the Djurdjura and Babor ranges east of Algiers. 1 Language FamilyTaqbaylit (Kabyle), a Berber language of the Afro-Asiatic family, distinct from Arabic though most Kabyle speakers today are also bilingual in it. 2 Traditions
Principal Religious TraditionsSunni Islam, carrying a strong local tradition of saint veneration inherited from pre-Islamic Kabyle religion; a Christian minority and a smaller historical Jewish presence are also recorded. 3 Practice
Practice StatusLiving, and practised in varied local forms 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Found In
Source The BerbersMichael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress Originated In
Source The BerbersMichael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress Source The BerbersMichael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress Sources
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