North Africa: Arabs, Berbers, and Pirates (Lecture at University of Utah)

On January 19, 2011, I will give a lecture for the University of Utah Middle East Center on The Arabs, Amazighs (Berbers), and Pirates.

Arabs: shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim Arabs added Islam to the daily lives of North Africans.

The Amazighs (Berbers): Amazighs are the original inhabitants of North Africa. The majority of Amazighs live in Morocco and Algeria, but Berber communities are in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and various countries throughout the world.

Pirates: Pirates protected the North African Barbary Coast (Libya to Morocco) from invading Europeans. They also committed non-noble acts, for which the word "Piracy" is synonymous. This lecture discusses the Turkish Barbarossa brothers, with a major focus on Khair ad-Din Barbarossa, and the British Sir Henry Mainwaring, who wrote an autobiography of his pirate adventures as part of his Pardon agreement with King James I. With his autobiography there is a Seaman Dictionary to help all use the same names for ship parts and seaman activities.