Amghar (Berber elder and chief)

Amghar is a Berber word corresponding to the Arabic shaykh, meaning "an elder, by virtue of age or authority". ¹

Among the Tuareg it is the chief of a tribal group who acts as intermediary between the amenokal and his tribe, and sometimes the chief of a confederation. ¹

Among the Kabyles and the Imazighen of Morocco the amghar is both the president elected by the jama'a (the assembly) and its executive agent among the tribe or tribal groups that compose it. In the Shilh group of Morocco, the chief elected by the assembly bears the title maddam, and the amghar is more particularly the temporal ruler whose authority rests on force rather than on regular election. ²