Post Date: 27 February 2015
Pair Berber Fibulae – TIZERZAI – Ida Ou Semlal, Western Anti Atlas, Morocco
Early to mid 20th century. Silver sheet on brass, Yemen black coral. The piece is cm. 55,2 in lenght (21.73″). Each fibulae is cm 12,0 high x cm 4,3 width (4.72″ x 1.69″). Gr. 211,3 (7.45 oz). Essential feminine embellishment, the tizerzai are taken in pairs to close the coat. 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 Berber appeared 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.