The largest Moroccan Berber dialect is Tachelhit, spoken by approximately three million Berbers in the Souss region, the western part of the High Atlas, in the Anti Atlas and in the valley of the Drâa. In the central and eastern part of the High Atlas and in the Middle Atlas Tamazight is spoken. The Riffains in the Rif speak Tarifit. Tachelhit is known for its rich oral culture, although it has been written in the Arabic script from the second half of the sixteenth century. Tachelhit has been written with several different systems, the dominant script being the Latin alphabet. Most recently, Tifinagh started to be used as an optional script. Tifinagh was originally used by the Tuareg to write their language. It is not widespread as a means of communication and it is often used as a political tool to assert Berber identity.
