Description

The term Moor is a historical rather than an ethnic name It is an invention of European Christians for the Islamic inhabitants of Maghreb North Africa Andalusia Spain Sicily and Malta and was sometimes use to designate all Muslims It is derived fromMauri the Latin name for the Berbers who lived in the Roman province of Mauretania which ranged across modern Algeria and MoroccoSaracenwas another European term used to designate Muslims though it usually referred to the Arabic peoples of the Middle East and derives from an ancient name for the ArabsSarakenoi The Muslims of those regions no more refer to themselves by that term than those of North Africa call themselves Moors Maghreb oralMaghrebis a historical term used by Arabic Muslims for the territory of coastal North Africa from Alexandria to the Atlantic Coast It means The West and is used in opposition toMashrek The East used to refer to the lands of Islam in the Middle East and northeastern Africa The Berbers refer to the region in their own language asTamazgha In a limited precise sense it can also refer to the Kingdom of Morocco the proper name of which is alMamlakah alMaghribiyyah Kingdom of the West