Tuareg padlock

Tanast or Tuareg lock (Zinder region, Niger)

Hedonism, elegance, beauty... The Tuareg padlock is a purely decorative element because, more than protecting the belongings of its owner, it serves to beautify a leather bag that could easily be split by the dagger of an unscrupulous person... in a country where everyone spends dagger.

The Tanast is the work of a silversmith who uses iron, copper, nickel and brass to make a jewel that requires one or more keys (asarú), which allow the harpoon-shaped piece that acts as a closure to be unlocked. Simple and, as we mentioned, more beautiful than effective.

The one we offer you at Black Market is beautifully decorated with the aluat flower and other motifs typical of Tuareg imagery. The back is engraved in tifinagh characters with the word ·: | | :· (Kanak), a small town in the Zinder region located halfway between Tanut and Agadez.

Height: 7cm; Width: 14cm