COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Berbervrouw uit de Midden Atlas TMnr 10028644

Zayanes ( ber, Azayi (singular), (plural); ) are a Berber population inhabiting the

Khenifra Khenifra (Berber: ''Xnifṛa'', ⵅⵏⵉⴼⵕⴰ, ar, خنيفرة) is a city in northern central Morocco, surrounded by the Atlas Mountains and located on the Oum Er-Rbia River. National Highway 8 also goes through the town. The population, a ...

region, located in the central

Middle Atlas The Middle Atlas (Amazigh: ⴰⵟⵍⴰⵙ ⴰⵏⴰⵎⵎⴰⵙ, ''Atlas Anammas'', Arabic: الأطلس المتوسط, ''al-Aṭlas al-Mutawassiṭ'') is a mountain range in Morocco. It is part of the Atlas mountain range, a mountainous region ...

mountains of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria t ...

. Zayanes tribes are known for their attachment to ancestral land and for their tenacity as warriors, especially during the colonization, led by

Mouha ou Hammou Zayani Mouha Ou Hammou Zayani, by his full name: Mohammed ou Hammou ben Akka ben Ahmed, also known as Moha Ou Hamou al-Harkati Zayani (c.1863 – 27 March 1921) was a Moroccan Berber military figure and tribal leader who played an important role in ...

. Thus they have prevented many invaders from easily seizing Khénifra. Despite the French defeat in the

Battle of El Herri The Battle of El Herri (also known as Elhri) was fought between France and the Berber Zaian Confederation on 13 November 1914. It took place at the small settlement of El Herri, near Khénifra in the French protectorate in Morocco. The batt ...

, 13 November 1914, the colonizers were determined not to abandon the fight against the Zayanes, but concerned French troops in invading Morocco in coming face to face with the Zayanes.

Geography

The tribes of Zayanes live in the

mountain range in the area of Khénifra. The Zayanes belong to a large tribe that twice a year wanders toward , where the climate is milder in contrast to Adrar where the winter is very severe. The Zayanes speak

Central Atlas Tamazight Central Atlas Tamazight or Atlasic (also known as Central Morocco Tamazight, variant of tashelhit, Middle Atlas Tamazight, Tamazight, Central Shilha and, rarely, Beraber or Braber; native name: ⵜⴰⵎⴰⵣⵉⵖⵜ ''Tamazight'' , ) is a Be ...

(''Tazayit''), which is one of the Berber languages. The Zayanes enjoy goat's and ewe's milk as well as

Ahriche In Moroccan cuisine, Ahriche(ⴰⵃⵔⵉⵛ) is a dish eaten by the tribes of Zayanes and Khénifra. The name is derived from the Berber word for stick; this is in reference to the dish's manner of cooking. It is a dish of tripe usually consist ...

. The latter is a dish of tripe, usually consisting of ganglion, caul, lung or heart of an animal wound with intestines on a stick of oak and cooked on hot coals.

References

General references

*F Berger, Mouha ou Hammou Azaii *Abes, M, Les izayanes d'Oulmès, Archives Berbères, 1915. *Amarir, O, La poésie marocaine amazighe, 1975. *Aspignon, R, Etude sur les coutumes des tribus zayanes, éd. Moynier,1946, Casa. *

Basset Bassets are a sub- type of scenthound deliberately bred with short legs, that are used for hunting where the hunters accompany the hunting hounds on foot. History Bassets were originally developed in France from where they spread throughout Europ ...

, André, La littérature Berbère, La Pléiade, 1955. *Ben Daoud, O i, Notes sur le pays zayan, archives berbères, 1917. *Berger, F, Moha Ouhammou le zayani, éd. Atlas, 1929. *Bernie, G, Moha Ohammou, guerrier berbère, éd. Gautey, Casa, 1945. * Chafik, Mohamed, Trente trois siècle de l'histoire des imazighen, Boukili éd. 2000 (3e éd.). * Chafik, Mohamed, La poésie amazighe et la résistance armée dans le Moyen Atlas et l'Est du Haut Atlas, revue de l'Académie du Royaume, no4, 1987. * Camps, Gabriel, Berbères aux marges de l'histoire, éd. Espérides, 1980. *Guennoun, S, La montagne berbère, ou les Ait Oumalou, éd. Oumnia, Rabat, 1933. *Guennoun, S, La voix des monts, Mœurs de guerres berbères, éd. Oumnia, Rabat, 1934. *Guillaume, A, (Général), Les berbères marocains et la pacification de l'Atlas Central (1912–1933), Julliard, 1946 Berber peoples and tribes Berbers in Morocco Moroccan tribes {{Morocco-stub