This list covers the Tuareg desert nomad forces from their occupation of the desert oases some time after Sidi Okba drove the Zenata south into the desert in the seventh century to the tribal forces of army size encountered during the colonial era. Little is definite about Tuareg history as source material is sparse. They fought constantly with their Arab neighbours to the North and with their sub-Saharan African neighbours to the South, raiding caravans for blackmail and harassing their neighbours.

Some may contend the early start date for this army. Some suggest the culture sprang fully formed in the tenth or eleventh century from a combination of the introduction of the camel by the Arabs and the forced migration of the Tuareg from Mauretania under pressure from the Almovarids. But, I suggest that, as the camel was almost certainly introduced to the Sahara by the Greeks or more probably the Romans much earlier than 1000 AD, rather than by the westward expansion of Islam in the ninth and tenth centuries, as evidenced by the extensive cross-desert caravan routes and the Roman trade with sub-Saharan Africa via both East and West routes in the second to fifth centuries, camel based tribal warfare would have pre-dated the Tuareg migration from Mauritania around 1000 AD. It is my suggestion that the Tuareg are more likely to have blended into the existing desert culture than to have brought it and the camel with them from the North and West.

The size of their armies is open to speculation throughout the period quoted for the army, but, forces of around 20,000 were not unknown and two complete mercenary armies were hired for one campaign by the Songhalese in the middle ages. A Tuareg army was one of three invading armies that triggered the eventual collapse of that empire in the sixteenth century. Whether these large forces constituted a genuine army or simply a convenient collection of tribes gathered together to raid a large target is equally indeterminate. I have chosen to represent this by the use of two mercenary generals. I think this representation may best cover the independent nature of three tribal forces gathered for a common purpose.

I would like to suggest an optional rule for this type of army where the commander throws a D6 and on a 5 or 6 loses a wing of his army determined by a second die. This might better reflect the inherently unstable relationship between tribal leaders.

I have also not included fire-arms or artillery in this draft. I contend that the Tuareg would have had access to and probably traded in firearms from an early date via the Moors to their North. There is some suggestion that the Sub-Saharan kingdoms had access to fire-arms during their campaigns against the Portuguese, although I have found no record as yet, and I cannot identify whether these were simply captured weapons turned on the invader or weapons acquired by trade presumably through the Tuareg merchants via the Sahara caravans. I am certain that a constant trickle of firearms was spreading through the region from the seventeenth century onwards probably as part of the slave trade. The Tuareg did own slaves and presumably traded in them as any other commodity.

This army was sent in by Chris Morgan [jdadmin@jdwalker.co.uk]

Background

The Tuareg (more properly Tawarik, the collective form of tarki, from Arabic terek, to give up, often taken as "the God forsaken", possibly in reference to their early abandonment of Christianity, or their original homelands in Mauretania, or possibly, in reference to their failure to immediately adopt Islam in preference to their shamanistic indigenous religion) are descendents of the Berber peoples displaced South into the Sahara by the Almovarids. The Tuareg refer to themselves as Imoshagh (" the noble people "), another form of Amazigh. They have over the last millennium gradually adopted Arabic culture and customs and many have converted to Islam – the Malikite sect of the Sunni branch of the faith.

The Tuareg are divided into five main tribes or families of tribes: the Azgar (Asjer) around Ghat and Ghadames; the Kelui around Air; the Hoggar (Ahaggar) in the mountains of that name and in the centre of the Sahara; the Awellimiden in the desert north and east of Timbuktu; and the Arrerf Ahnet, a recent offshoot of the Hoggars living in the Adrar'n Ahnet region north-west of the Hoggar massif.

The Tuareg were, and remain today, a matriarchal society with a class based hierarchy. They are divided into five classes: the Thaggaren or nobles – who primarily wore the indigo veiled turbans and long flowing robes associated with the Tuareg as a whole; Marabouts or priests; Imghad or serfs; Ireghenaten or cross-breeds; and the slaves. The Thaggaren are pure-blooded, and provide the tribal chiefs. They live in the saddle, either convoying those caravans which have paid blackmail for safe passage, or making raids on trade-routes or settlements. Imghad are hereditary serfs; whole tribes being indentured to a Thaggaren family. Most of them act as " squires " to the nobles on their pillaging expeditions. The cross-breeds are the descendants of mixed marriages between the nobles and serfs. The slaves are chiefly West Sudanese negroes. They are generally well treated and would act as baggage carriers and camel holders for their masters. The "black" and "white" Tuaregs refers to the distinction between the nobles who wore primarily the indigo blue litham turban and robes and the Imghad vassals who wore mainly white turbans and a mix of coloured robes. Note that this is not a "hard and fast" rule and that the nobles of some tribes traditionally wore a white headdress.

When travelling, the Tuareg would rest at traditional water sources and meeting points. Tents would be of the Arabic canopy style and usually of red dyed animal skins. Traditional wooden carved totem sticks would guard the doorways and the tents would be divided internally into women’s and men’s quarters. Contrary to popular understanding the desert oases were well populated with permanent settlements from the seventh century on. For instance the Western Algerian Sahara supports over 300 ksurs or hamlets all of which are strongly fortified with walled citadels built of sun-baked mud brick, sometimes whitewashed. Many of these are built along a line of springs and oases fed by rainfall in the nearby Atlas mountains. The region is relatively fertile at these places and crops of dates, cereals and vegetables are grown. The Imghad, cross-breeds and slaves would also herd sheep and goats on behalf of their masters. Presumably, rustled African cattle would also be herded from time to time following successful raids to the South. There were several "capital" cities, which moved with the tribal power bases over time.

Arms, Armour and Weapons

The traditional weapon of the nobility was the Allarh an all-metal lance used with a wrist weight to add power to the blow. Javelins were also carried and at least at the beginning of the period, other missile weapons, bows and slings, were considered unmanly. A straight two-edged sword of about 30-36" in length was also worn at the waist. For most of this period a white hide shield, roughly rectangular, of about three to four feet in length, decorated with small talisman and scratch marks, said by some to be a reflection of the holy cross, a hangover from the pre-islamic routes of the Tuareg, and by some to have shamanistic interpretations, was used. There is an example of such a Tuareg shield on display at the British Museum.

Mounted troops and infantry appear to have been similarly equipped. There is apparently evidence that vassal mountain tribes used the short bow, but, it not known that this was so in warfare and I have chosen to equip the skirmish forces with javelins.

At some point, probably in the sixteenth century, primitive handguns began to be used, probably first traded or acquired in raids against the Moorish states to the north and later imported as armaments. The most common weapon amongst the nobility appears to have been the ubiquitous jezail or flintlock muzzle loader, certainly until the latter half of the nineteenth century when more advanced rifles were to be had. At some point in the conversion to the use of fire-arms the shield would have probably been dropped as either an encumbrance when using a rifle mounted or as an ineffective defence against bullets.

Personal armour does not appear to have been significantly used, although, the designation of the troops allows for enough variance that some may have been worn.

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