The Tuareg are fiercely independent nomadic people. On the move with their herds and camels over vast areas of the southern Sahara, they produce no masks or figures but instead create an impressive world of traditional, abstract, beautiful, functional objects of leather, wood and metal.
Wood was carved into posts of many inventive forms, all intricately covered with geometric designs. Four matching ame ssaqqab legs formed a litter on camelback, then were turned upside-down inside a Tuareg family's tent to form a platform.
Although the wood is extremely hard, some of the ame ssaqqab legs have eroded ends, splits or cracks. We have photographed them to show any flaws in the details. The wood is dark and the apparent discoloration is natural.