Desert People

The Tuaregs and Bedouins

In the largest desert of the world, live the tribesmen-- the Tuareg and the Bedouin.

TUAREGS

Far to the north of the Sahara live the Tuaregs, they are a group of Berber-speaking nomadic people, and most of them are Muslims. It is also a confederation of people including: the Ahaggar(Hoggar), the Azjier (Ajjier), the Asben(Air Tuareg). Some of them are pastoralists, some of them are traders who travel around the Sahara, basing on well-established routes. This name--Tuareg, means 'God-forsaken' in Arabic. They got this name because of their habits of raiding other tribe and travellers with murderous ways. These fair-skinned men are veiled with blue cotton strips called teguelmousts in order to keep out of the heat and flying dust of the desert. The people live in low, wide tents of animal skins which are usually dyed red. These tents are mobile in sense, for the people are always on the move. There are still few Tuaregs who hunt now, for food gathering will be difficult here, so they mainly depend on their herds, like the camels.

[The Tuaregs are dressed like this for ther harsh environment.]

[A tented camp of the Tuaregs in the northern Sahara. They are convenient to use and easily erected or dismantled.]

BEDOUINS

Besides of the Tuaregs, there are also the Bedouin who are known as the 'people of the tent' in deserts, but these people call themselves Ahl- el-beit meaning 'people of the tent'. They speak Arabic, descended from the Mustarabs. The Bedouin are also wandering people and have spread over all the arid regions of the Middle East, about nine-tenths of the land! They also depend on the beasts they own, like sheepa and goats, as they are cattle-driving nomads. There are various merchants, artisan and also entertainer castes. These people are nearly opposite from the Tuaregs, they are courteous and have a well-developed sense of hospitality towards the other tribes, but they still have the pressure to settle in fixed communities recently.