Various populations have contributed to the present-day gene pool of Morocco, including the autochthonous Berber population, Phoenicians, Sephardic Jews, Bedouin Arabs and sub-Saharan Africans.
Objective: The primary objective of the study was to complete a genetic description of the Berber-speaking population in the Souss region of southern Morocco, based on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence analysis.
Subjects and methods: The first hypervariable segment of the mtDNA control region was sequenced in a sample of 50 individuals from the Souss Valley, and the results compared with the extensive body of data available on mtDNA sequence variation in Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
Results: Thirty-four different sequences were found; an estimated 68% of the sequences occurred throughout Europe, West Asia and North Africa, 26% originated in sub-Saharan Africa, and 6% belonged to the North African specific haplogroup U6. The Souss Valley mtDNA sequences indicated the presence of two populations which expanded at different times: the West Eurasian sequences in the Souss sample had a smaller average number of pairwise differences than pairs of sub-Saharan sequences.
Conclusion: Detailed knowledge of the possible geographic origin of each sequence facilitated an interpretation of both internal diversity parameters and between-population relationships. The sub-Saharan admixture in the Souss Valley matched the south-north cline of sub-Saharan influence in North Africa, also evident in the genetic distances of North African populations to Europeans and sub-Saharan Africans.
Unfortunately I can’t paste the relevant table neatly, but I can reproduce it here for the genetic origins of each population. This gives a very good outline of the genetic composition of North Africa
- North African Sub Saharan Eurasian
- Souss 6% 26% 68%
- NC Morocccan Berber 8.3% 3.3% 88.4%
- Moroccan Arab 6.5% 21.9% 71.8%
- Mozabite 31.8% 11.8% 56.4%
- Saharawi 8% 44% 48%
- Mauritanian 20% 43.3% 36.7
- Tuareg 7.7% 84% 7.7%
- Egyptian 1.5% 30.9% 67.6%
- Nubian 0% 40.5% 59.5%
As you can see, North central Berbers have a very low amount of Sub Saharan ancestry, but the southern Tuaregs who have reached down into Mali show a very high level. Other DNA studies have shown the European admiture into North Africans to be around 4%, the Eurasian Mt DNA comes from the paleolithic westward expansion one Eurasian, and the later Neolithic expansion of Eurasian into North Africa about 6,000 years ago.
Previously, it was believed that the expansion took place from East Africa, but more recent Y chromosome studies by Cruciani have shown a very young age for most Y chromosomes in North Africa, with an origin in the near East.
A rather fuzzy chart showing the genetic distances between various populations . It can be seen that Moroccan Berbers are very similar to the Spanish . My apologies for the poor definition. Essentially, Berbers are a Caucasian people native to North Africa with varying degrees of sub Saharan ancestry, more as you go Southwards.
I would just like to comment the the Egyptian DNA figures appear to match Southern Egypt, in particular a study of Gurna I saw. I am fairly sure there’s rather less African DNA at the delta end. It was rather a surprise to see how much of the Nubian ancestry was Eurasian though.