Sanhaja

Distribution of Berber-speaking groups today. The pink areas depict Western Berber languages: Zenaga to the West, Mauritania and Senegal; Tetserret to the East, Niger.

The Sanhaja (Arabic: صنهاجة, Ṣanhaja or زناگة Znaga; Berber languages: Aẓnag, pl. Iẓnagen, and also Aẓnaj, pl. Iẓnajen) were once one of the largest Berber tribal confederations, along with the Zanata and Masmuda confederations.[1] Many tribes in Algeria, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Tunisia and Western Sahara bore and still carry this ethnonym, especially in its Berber form.

Other names for the population include Zenaga, Znaga, Sanhája, Sanhâdja and Senhaja.

  1. ^ Nelson, Harold D. (1985). Morocco, a country study. Area handbook series. Washington, D.C.: The American University. p. 14.