Tuareg, French Touareg, Berber-speaking pastoralists who inhabit an area in North and West Africa ranging from Touat, Algeria, and Ghadames, Libya, to northern Nigeria and from Fezzan, Libya, to Timbuktu, Mali. Their political organizations extend across national boundaries.
Where are Tuaregs located?
The Tuareg people are about 2 million nomadic people who live across the Sahara Desert , including in the North African countries of Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria and Chad. The Tuaregs are part of the Berber group of people, and they are largely Muslim.
Are there still Tuaregs?
There are still about 2m Tuareg , mostly in Niger and Mali. But surrounded by foreign majorities, they have been marginalised: land reforms limit their traditional nomadic pastoralism, while trade restrictions keep them poor. Rampant desertification hardly helps.
Where do Bedouins and Tuaregs live?
The Bedouins live mainly in the deserts of Arabia, Syria, Sinai, and Sahara , while the Tuareg live mainly in the Central Sahara and its neighboring regions.
What race are the Tuareg?
The Tuareg are classified as a Berber group , and are closely related to both Northwest African Berbers and West Africans in terms of culture and race. They do not have Arabic ethnicity.
Is Tuaregs Arab?
The Tuaregs are Berbers who live in the central Sahara and its neighboring regions: Algeria, Libya, Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso. ... They speak the Tuareg language (Tamachek) and use a Latin Berber alphabet called tifinagh.
Are Tuaregs white?
Yet the Tuaregs continue to speak a Berber-rooted language, Tamashaq. They are “white” – of Semitic character as opposed to the black tribes that inhabit sub-Saharan Africa. They have been labeled “The Blue People” for centuries because of their fabulous flowing turbans and robes.
Why do Tuaregs wear blue?
The Tuareg are sometimes called the “Blue People” because the indigo pigment in the cloth of their traditional robes and turbans stained their skin dark blue . The traditional indigo turban is still preferred for celebrations, and generally Tuareg wear clothing and turbans in a variety of colors.
What is the difference between Bedouins and Tuaregs?
The Bedouin are the tribes the people who live in desert. ... Tuaregs are the nomadic tribes they live across the Sahara Desert, including in the North African countries of Mali, Niger, Libya, Algeria and Chad.
What language do Tuaregs speak?
Tamashek is the language of the Tuareg, who often call themselves the Kel Tamagheq, or Tamashek speakers. The language is also spoken in Algeria and Mali and possesses its own writing, called tifinagh, which is in widespread use.
How did the Bedouins make a living?
Traditionally, the Bedouin livelihood primarily involved herding of sheep, goats and camels that provided meat, milk products and wool.
Are Tuaregs Bedouins?
groups (collectively known as the Tuareg), the Kanuri of Lake Chad, and the Bedouin Arab peoples.
Why do Berbers wear black?
The amount of heat gained by a Bedouin exposed to desert heat is the same whether he or she wears a black robe or a white one. The additional heat absorbed by the black robe is lost before it reaches the skin and drives convection under the black robe, making it more comfortable than a white robe.
What do Tuareg call themselves?
The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan , meaning “free people.” Today they are known for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the Sahara Desert.
What is a Tuareg cross?
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.
Who lives in the Sahara Desert?
Do People Live In The Sahara? The population of the Sahara is just two million. People who live in the Sahara are predominantly nomads , who move from place to place depending on the seasons. Whilst others live in permanent communities near water sources.
