You may have heard the word Tuareg before, but besides being a model of a Volkswagen, it refers to one of the most unique people on the planet who live in one of the world’s harshest environments, the Sahara.
The Tuareg don’t have their own country, but instead are a nomadic group of roughly 2 million people spread across the centre of the Sahara through Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and even in Nigeria. Tuareg people are known for their mastery of the desert and iconic blue-coloured clothing. Aside from living in the deepest part of our planet’s largest desert what other unique traits do the Tuareg have?
Language
The Tuareg speak a language called Tamasheq which is from the branch of the Amazigh languages spoken in Northern Africa. They use a distinct and objectively one of the coolest scripts out there called Tifinagh which you can see still used all across Algeria, Morocco and some parts of Libya today.
The Blue People
The Tuareg are also known as the blue people. This is because their local dress usually consists of a bright blue/indigo covering or turban. Historically the dye used in this clothing would leak and stain the skin of the wearer, giving them a blue hue.
Matrilineal Society
Contrary to many other cultures in the region and to many of the Islamic peoples that they share borders with, Tuareg people practice a matrilineal society, meaning that inheritance and family ties and general passed down through the female line.
Traders
Historically, due to their location in the central Sahara, the Tuareg were nomadic traders that would aid caravans crossing the vast desert. This area was key for the transport of gold and salt. Crossing the desert without the aid of the Tuareg was previously a probably death sentence. Today, if you tried to cross the Sahara, we still think the help of the Tuareg people would be handy, if not still essential.
Many of the Tuareg now engage in agriculture and more and more are beginning to get into tourism as people want to explore the Sahara.
Music
Music in Tuareg culture is very important and is used as a form for expressing poetry and storytelling. In modern times, a form of music born from Tuareg artists known as Saharan Blues has gained international fame with big name bands such as Tinariwen, who have their roots in the central Sahara.
If you’d like to come explore the Sahara and experience the Tuareg culture then join us in one of our North African destinations where we head deep into the world’s largest desert.
For more information on our North Africa tours, check out our
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