where were the moors from

The Moors were originally from North Africa. Specifically, they were Muslim inhabitants of the region known historically as the Maghreb, which includes present-day Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, Libya, Tunisia, and Western Sahara. They were primarily of Arab and Berber (Amazigh) origin. The Moors invaded and occupied the Iberian Peninsula (modern Spain and Portugal) starting in 711 CE, after which they established a flourishing Islamic culture in the region that lasted for several centuries.