Photos

Comments

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  Eva Baby June 25, 2012 at 10:36pm

  nice photo! Is this a Tuareg tent or bed post? (The wood). It`s lovely.  The bracelet too.
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  ait ouakli June 25, 2012 at 10:46pm

  Thanks eva. i love this kind of wood too. i have arround 50 pieces. sounds crazy but it is like this :-)

  it is a touareg and Mauritania women kamelsaddle
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  ait ouakli June 25, 2012 at 10:57pm

  this kind of bracelet are rare and not easy to find. specialy this one, is made from a touareg smith in south Mali
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  Harald June 25, 2012 at 10:59pm

  Good for you to collect those wooden pieces! Getting scars and are beautiful!
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  ait ouakli June 25, 2012 at 11:13pm

  Harald. thank you. i can not stop buying them. i have them in different sizes and carvings

  i m planing to make a table with. if a do it, will post a photo
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  Harald June 25, 2012 at 11:15pm

  Sounds exiting!
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  Eva Baby June 26, 2012 at 6:39am

  I have been riding 10 or 11 days in a Mauritanian wood saddle in the desert northern Mali, but the saddle looked different, I guess I was riding in a mens saddle!  It was all painted in beautiful colours and similar to a Tuareg saddle, difference was there was no "cross" in the front, but something like a leaf. My  guides were two Mauritanians from Timbuktu, speaking Hassanyia. See picture. But I have not seen any saddles for women, although we lived in their tent.  I think the nomad women there did not ride on camels..... what a pity, would have loved to see this saddle.
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  Harald June 26, 2012 at 9:36am

  Eva, was this nice saddle not very uncomfortable? It looks like it is designed for 2 persons is that so?

  Were do you put your legs, through the openings in the side or out in the front? It seems that one can not move ones legs very much but may be the Tuareg do not move. 

  I only know Egyptian saddles and they have only a pole at the back and one at the front. Nice so you can move around when getting tired by sitting in one possision.
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  Eva Baby June 26, 2012 at 10:35am

  Oh, I must apologize, I put the photo of TWO saddles standing one behind the other, this is confusing. Sorry, this was not my intention. the legs are "wound" around the "lily-leaf" in front, hanging then on the camels neck. As said, it is a Moorish saddle for men made and used in Timbuktu (Mali North).  I loaded a photo of a camel sitting on ground before mounting it, with the saddle, perhaps one can see it better. I loved the saddles decorations. Riding on it hurts on the inner parts of the upper legs during the first day, due to the "lily leaf", but after that you don't feel it anymore. In fact, it is quite comfortable, the longer you ride, and we used to write our diary up there and drink tea (which was handed to us by our guide Mohamed Najim).  I think for men it is more comfortable, because of their different body structure.
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  Harald June 28, 2012 at 3:08pm

  This way I can see how it is placed on the camel. Lovely saddle looks like a open flower.