The beauty of Tuareg gold workgoes beyond simple jewelry or amulets that are worn as accessories, since these pieces are the reflection of a culture, of the idiosyncrasy of the Tuareg people, who have made endless trips through the Sahara desert.
Trips in which their men with skin tanned by the sun and their blue turbans protect their women, who look like goddesses full of brilliance, due to their silver jewelry, abundant and curly hair; faithful companions on their journeys, where metals, jewelry, livestock, spices and handicrafts abound, which they carry in their caravans to trade.
For this reason, when speaking of Tuareg goldsmithing, we must emphasize that This people descended from the ancient Amazic or Berber nomadic tribes, and that they made their trips through the Sahara desert; they had a geographical location that encompassed territories of Mali, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Niger and Libya, and despite their mixture, today they have their own script «tifinagh», and their religion is Islam, despite the fact that they retain their own system of law and justice and certain ancient beliefs.
Some of these beliefs are based on pre-Islamic dogmas that are manifested through Tuareg crafts and goldsmithing, in which highlights the decoration of the body, using geometric objects with a special symbolism. They are a series of figures that include equilateral triangles, rhombuses, arrowheads that are stylized in a very careful way, as well as the famous silver crosses.
Each of these Tuareg goldsmith objects carries an implicit message for this people, who despite the Islamic religion, continue to use them to protect themselves, for example, from the evil eye. Likewise, The Tuareg people defend the belief of healing through metals such as copper and stones such as coral.
An important aspect of Tuareg goldsmithing is the fact that the most used metal is silver, and very rarely they make gold ornamentsThey also believe that iron is an evil metal that brings negative effects to those who carry it. Regarding their designs, we must point out that they mostly use figures of animals, plants and astrological elements, because divination is very important for them; so it is common to find jewelry with moons, suns or stars as the main motif of their designs.
On the other hand, Tuareg goldsmithing itself is considered to be an artwhich does not include accessories, jewelry and ornaments, but the blacksmiths, called inadem, also make weapons, which represent their warrior nature, such as the well-known traditional sword with a cross-shaped handle, called takuba, daggers such as the elmoshi and the telek, daggers like azegiz and gozma and spears or allagh.
Tuareg goldsmithing includes within the objects it manufactures, items for everyday life, based on resistant, useful and above all transportable metals, because they are always moving; such as silver hammers, which are used to break down sugar.
Within the jewelry made in the Tuareg goldsmith, are the beautiful and famous Tuareg crosses, which are also called southern crossings; which have many meanings for this people, but the main thing is that they are made as stars, whose four points are associated with the cardinal points. Because it is a nomadic people that is always willing to mobilize in search of its survival. Currently there are about twenty-two types of these Tuareg goldsmith pieces, and among the most representative we have the following:
Agades Crosses: They are some of the most commercial crosses in the world; and they are used by the Tuareg women of Ayr, which is the capital of Agades, as decorative ornaments and for their protection.
Zinder crosses: These crosses from the southern part of Niger are called «tenalit», which is a term that means «small millet», because their shape is very similar to that of millet grains.
Iferouan Crosses: They are one of the most widespread crosses in the world, and their name means «small inheritance»; and is associated with all the cultural and historical baggage of this town.
Tahoua crosses: It is also known as zakkat, a term whose meaning is unknown.
Gall Crosses: These crosses come from the village of Gall, southwest of Agades, they are associated with the term «tanfukque» which means «half out», which represents the red tip that comes out of the capsule, like the sun rises, at dawn.
Currently, with the rise of tourism, the Tuareg people have kept the traditional models to themselves, while for the general public and tourists who come from all over the world, or those who export, they have had to modify the line. It should be noted that Europe is the largest buyer of these Tuareg goldsmith crosses, as well as some Arab countries, for whom they must make them with gold.