What does the Tuareg cross mean?
What does the Tuareg cross mean?
Pendant made from 100% silver by master artisans in Niamey, Niger. The Cross of Agadez is a famous symbol of the Tuareg people and their capital city, Agadez. We’ve also heard other Tuaregs say that their people were Christians before becoming Muslim, and the cross symbolizes Jesus with a crown of thorns.
What is the meaning of Agadez?
Agadez, formerly spelled Agadès, is the largest city in central Niger, with a population of 118,244 (2012 census). It lies in the Sahara and is the capital of Aïr, one of the traditional Tuareg–Berber federations. The city is also the capital of the Agadez Region.
What is Tuareg jewelry?
The Tuareg are a fiercely independent people who maintain their Berber ways. They produce stunning jewelry in bold and simplistic designs – very geometric and symmetrical. They believe that silver is the metal of the prophet and, in fact, Tuareg women often have a superstitious fear of gold and will not wear it.
What makes the Tuareg unique?
Even though they have retained the language and many of the customs of their Berber ancestors, the Tuareg have developed a unique culture of their own, a genuine synthesis of many traditions, including not only Berber and Arab, but also elements from indigenous peoples who reside in the Sahel.
What do you call a person from Niger?
What do you call someone who hails from Niger? Old-schoolers (and, in what an editor there called “something of an oversight,” the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary) still use the archaic “Nigerois” (nee-zher-WAH); more common and up-to-date is “Nigerien” (nee-ZHER-yen).
Is the Cross of Agadez a Christian or Muslim symbol?
Although commonly referred to as a Muslim cross, there is actually no bearing of it on Islam or Christianity. The cross of Agadez is actually a geometric cross pattern that is used by Sunni Muslim Tuareg people of Saharan Africa. The center of the cross represents God.
When does a father give his son the Agadez cross?
1. The Agadez cross is given by a father to his son when he reaches around 15 years of age. This is the age a boy becomes a man and is free to travel anywhere he wishes. The four points of the cross represent the four corners of the world. 2..
What is the meaning of the Tuareg cross?
This page is about the meaning, origin and characteristic of the symbol, emblem, seal, sign, logo or flag: Tuareg Cross. The markings and geometrical design of Tuareg crosses and Tuareg jewelry in general translates into protective symbolism.
What does the Tahoua cross mean in Arabic?
Above is the Tahoua cross. Crosses signify place. Many centuries ago the Arab and Berber tribes people began moving south into the Sahara to trade. With them they brought Islam into the Sahara. During this expansion of Islam into the desert a conflict was created with the Tuaregs.