Who are the Tuareg People and What is a Tuareg cross?

The Tuareg people live in the Central Sahara Desert, one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. The Tuareg people inhabit the Sahara in a vast area stretching from South Western Lybia to Southern Algeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and can also be found in Northern Nigeria. The clans have been a historic part of the Tuareg. Each Tuareg clan is made up of family groups forming a tribe led by its chief.

As semi nomadic people the Tuaregs are believed to be descendants of the Berber natives of North Africa and have been called the blue people for the indigo dye clothes they wear which can dye their skin.

What is a Tuareg Cross?

A lot of Tuareg art is in the form of Jewellery, leather and metal decorations.Among their products are the Tuareg Cross which were traditionally passed down from Father to Son - with the words...

"I give you the four corners of the world because one cannot know where one will die."

Tuareg crosses also known as Niger crosses are made from Silver or silver alloy. Silver is the metal of Allah, as opposed to Gold which is considered to be a demonic metal.