Antique Pair Berber Fibulae – TIZERZAI – Mogador (Essaouira), Morocco

End 19th century; early 20th century. Sterling silver gr. 121,2 (4.28 oz). Each fibula measures cm. 15,0 high x cm. 10,4 (5.91″ x 4.09”) width.

Essential feminine embellishment, the tizerzai are taken in pairs to close the coat. Their weight, size and the fineness of the workmanship indicate the social status of the woman who wears them.

For more information and similar examples: “Tiserai – The Fibule Au Maroc”, by Ileana Marchesani, Franco D’Alessandro and Meriem Otmani – Edition Sicopa.

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.

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