Old Tuareg leather purse wallet African Sahara Niger Nigeria Mali handmade Art

Authentic OLD Leather purse / wallet handcrafted and used by the people of Tuareg.

The wallet is in good condition with a lot of wear, damages and repairs due to age and usage, Please see photos. ( THIS WALLET IS NOT SUITABLE FOR USAGE DUE TO ITS AGE AND FRAGILE CONDITION ).

The size of wallet is 8 1/2" ( 22 cm ) long ( including the fringe as seen on photo 1 ) and 2 3/4" ( 6.5 cm ) wide ( including the fringe ) PLEASE SEE PHOTOS.

This type of wallets hung around the necks of the Tuareg were they can store different small size items.

The outer cover slides up on its strings to reveal the purse ( please see photo 3 ) were there are 3 leather flaps concealing 4 pocket sections.

Tuareg use leather to form many kinds of African art !

Tuareg is a term used to identify numerous diverse groups of people who share a common language and a common history.

Tuareg camel caravans played the primary role in trans-Saharan trade until the mid-20th century when European trains and trucks took over.

Goods that once were brought north to the edge of the Sahara are now taken to the coast by train and then shipped to Europe and beyond.

Tuareg history begins in northern Africa where their presence was recorded by Herodotus.

Many groups have slowly moved southward over the last 2,000 years in response to pressures from the north and the promise of a more prosperous land in the south.

Today many Tuareg live in sedentary communities in the cities bordering the Sahara that once were the great centers of trade for western Africa.

Although most Tuareg now practice some degree of Islam, they are not considered Arabic.

TYPES OF ART : Much Tuareg art is in the form of jewelry, leather and metal saddle decorations, and finely crafted swords.

LOCATION : Niger, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mali.