Takouba

The takouba is a long, straight, double-edged sword traditionally carried by the Tuareg people of the central Sahara and Sahel and by neighboring Saharan and West African peoples, its spread linked to the trans-Saharan trade networks and empires, including the Mali Empire, that connected North and West Africa from around the thirteenth century onward. Typically fitted with a simple cross-guard and a plain wooden or leather-wrapped grip, and often housed in a decorated leather scabbard, the takouba was carried as both a practical weapon and a marker of status among Tuareg warriors and nobility, frequently passed down through generations and refurbished with new blades or fittings over a long working life. Its straight, broad blade and utilitarian design set it apart from the curved sabers more commonly associated with North African and Middle Eastern edged-weapon traditions, reflecting instead a distinct Saharan and Sahelian sword tradition of its own.