Berber Talisman – KITAB – Mauritania

Mid 20th century. Engraved silver on iron sheet gr. 22,5 (0,79 oz.). Cm. 5,0 high x cm. 4,5 width (1.96” x 1.77″).

These talismans holding Koranic verses are known as Kitab (meaning “book” in arabic).

Berbers are the indigenous ethnic group of North Africa. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River.The name Berberappeared for the first time after the end of the Roman Empire.

Many Berbers call themselves some variant of the word imazighen(singular: Amazigh), possibly meaning “free people” or “free and noble men”. Today, most Berber-speaking people live in Morocco and Algeria.