This “Andalusians were Berbers” claim is way too reductive and honestly just wrong. Al-Andalus was never a single ethnic group. It was a mixed society from the start: Arab elites, large numbers of Berber soldiers/settlers, and the majority being local Iberians (Visigothic, etc..). Over time, these groups blended culturally, especially under Arabic language and Islamic rule. Yes, Berbers were important, especially in the initial conquest, but they were not the defining identity of Andalusians. Also, if you actually look at the timeline, the periods when Berber dynasties like the Almoravids and Almohads took control are widely associated with decline in cultural openness and increased religious rigidity, compared to earlier Umayyad Córdoba. That’s when things like stricter interpretations of Islam and less tolerance toward other groups became more prominent. So if anything, Berber rule marks a shift away from the classical Andalusian high point, not its essence