A traditional Touareg pipe

avril 2015

The Touareg nomad people from the Sahara are known for a specific type of tobacco pipes. For this people, which travels through the region on horseback, the smoking pipe must be small, lightweight and, above all, unbreakable. Their tobacco pipes are therefore made of metal and shaped as a so-called tubular, a pipe that has no clear separation between the bowl and the stem. Furthermore, a slight bending of the smoking instrument is characteristic, whereby the bowl emerges from the stem with a smooth line. Another characteristic is the beveled bowl opening, so that a kind of open container is created. Scarcity of tobacco made it possible to slide the often crumbly or crumbled tobacco into the pipe without spilling. Good for an economical user who doesn't want to waste anything. The craftsmanship of the pipe maker is clearly reflected in the pipe shown with contrasting metal colours interspersed with pieces of bone and wood. After the different materials have been applied around an iron core, the pipe is smoothed and then polished. Finally, the pipe maker provides some engraved zones. In total this creates a practical and yet elegant small pipe that is typical smoking instrument for the Touareg without comparison with pipes from any other region in the world.

Amsterdam Pipe Museum APM 22.012

Archives des objets du mois