Zerqet

Zerqet
Senhaja de Srair tribe
Zerqet's landscape
EthnicitySenhaja de Srair
LocationZerkat, Al Hoceïma Province
Population6750 (2014 census)
LanguageSenhaja de Srair language
SurnamesTribe of Greenery[clarification needed]

Zerqet (Senhaja De Srair: Zerqet) is a Berber tribe belonging to the Senhaja de Srair confederation, located in the central Rif Mountains of northern Morocco. Geographically and administratively, the tribe's territory centers in the rural commune of Zerkat within the Al Hoceïma Province.

Etymology

During the Spanish protectorate, the tribe's name was translated as Cabila de la Verdora (transl. Tribe of Greenery), referring to the territory's dense forests and abundant vegetation.[citation needed] In the local Berber language of Senhaja de Srair, there is no distinct word specifically for green; instead, the term azegzaw is used to denote both green and blue. When adapted into Arabic, the term became Zarqā' (from which Zerqet derives), effectively transferring the primary meaning of the term to blue despite its original reference to the region's green landscape.

Geography and organization

Tizi Ifri

Zerqet is situated near Targuist in the Rif region of northern Morocco. Its territory includes Tizi Ifri and features dense forest cover, which historically contributed to the area's abundant vegetation. The political center of Zerqet is Timdiqit.

Organizationally, Zerqet is structured into two tribal fractions, each comprising its own distinct villages

Allal & Iguermalet

Ifellihen & Messoumet

References

  1. 1 2 Gutova, Evgeniya. Senhaja Berber Varieties : phonology, Morphology, and Morphosyntax (Thesis). Agence Bibliographique de l'Enseignement Supérieur. p 25.
  2. 1 2 ADARDAK, Charif (2016). "Processus d'organisation territoriale de la Région de «Senhaja Sraîr» jusqu'à la fin du Protectorat espagnol (1956)". Revue "Tidighin" des Recherches Amazighes et Développement (in French). 0 (5): 42. ISSN 2028-9782. Archived from the original on 2023-11-12.
  3. ↑ Mohand Akli Haddadou (2007). DICTIONNAIRE DES RACINES BERBERES COMMUNES (PDF). Haut Commissariat à l'Amazighité. p. 243.
  4. ↑ منیر أڭزناي (2013). ""مونوغرافية بعض عشائر قبيلة "زرقت" [Monograph on Some Clans of the "Zerqet" Tribe]. revues.imist.ma (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2024-02-07.
  5. 1 2 عماد أدرداك (2014). "قبائل "صنهاجة اسراير" بالريف: التسمية والأصول" [The "Senhaja Srair" Tribes of the Rif: Name and Origins]. revues.imist.ma (in Arabic). p. 15. Archived from the original on 2024-02-07.
  6. ↑ Coon, Carleton Stevens. "Tribes Of The Rif". Internet Archive. Retrieved 2026-08-01.
  7. ↑ Amrani, Mohamed El (2025-12-22). "Intempéries: plus de 20 routes coupées dans plusieurs provinces (situation du 22 décembre)". Médias24 - Numéro un de l'information économique marocaine (in French). Retrieved 2026-08-01.