Ayar
| Ayar | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Information | |
| Weapon type: | Protective weapon, shield |
| Designations: | Ayar |
| Use: | weapon |
| Region of origin / author: |
Africa , Sahara , Niger , Tuareg ethnic group |
| Distribution: | Africa |
| Handle: | leather |
| Lists on the subject | |
The Ayar , engl. Hide Shield , German "Tuareg shield", is a protective weapon from Africa .
description
The Ayar consists of the skin of the oryx antelopes (Oryx gazella) ( tuareg . Lamt ). To make the shield, the skin is dried in the sun after the animal has been slaughtered , which makes it very hard. In addition, it is moistened with milk over a period of one year and rubbed with ostrich eggshells and thereby tanned. If there is damage to the front from sword blows, the leather is heated over steam and the damage is rubbed off by hand. This process makes the damage disappear. The oryx leather is a symbol of military victory throughout the southern Sahara. The shield is elongated and irregularly shaped. The upper edge has two shapes similar to the hump of a camel . It becomes wider towards the lower edge and is straight there. This indicates the shape of a female body and thus serves both as a symbol for fertility and for the sterile , deadly iron . A leather strap serves as a handle, which also serves as a holder while riding. For this purpose, a hook is worked out on the camel saddle of the Tuareg, which is used to hang the shield.
Traditional decorations are attached to the front and decorated in different colors. The shield is too heavy to handle and parry skillfully in combat, so it is carried rather rigidly. The symbol on the front resembles a snowflake . It has also often been found on rock carvings in the Sahara, its meaning is unknown. Some scientists suspect that it is a heraldic symbol that denotes clan membership , or some kind of device. Others believe that it is an amulet against the evil eye (tuareg. Tehot ). The most compelling explanation is that it is a symbol of Iziz , the Tuareg god of war (the vulture god who slaughters enemies). This Tuareg god of war probably has a connection to the Persian god of war Aziz . If one carried this symbol on the shield, one acted according to the belief of the Tuareg "under a divine calling".
literature
- Christopher Spring : African arms and armor. Published for the Trustees of the British Museum by British Museum Press, London 1993, ISBN 0-7141-2508-3 .
Web links
- Tuareg shield in the Hamill Gallery
- Tuareg shield in the British Museum
- Images of a Tuareg shield in the British Museum (enlarged)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Website of the British Museum, London, available online, (English, accessed on December 7, 2010) ( Memento of July 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Website of the British Museum, London, available online, (English, accessed on December 7, 2010) ( Memento of July 25, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Tuareg sign in the Pitt Rivers Museum, available online , (accessed November 11, 2012)
