Station: [56] The Tanaghilt or Agadez Cross, Niger

A filigree cross with delicately tapering tips and a large opening, almost like an eye. Is it an amulet? A religious badge perhaps?

Originally, a tanaghilt is said to have been a piece of men’s jewellery, handed down from father to son once the latter reached marriageable age. The father would say: "My son, I give you the four corners of the world, because one never knows where one will die."

A tanaghilt is usually made of silver with a fineness of .833, often from a Maria Theresa thaler. The heavy silver coin was legal tender in the Habsburg Empire until 1858, and more than 350 million were in circulation worldwide. Arab middlemen played a part in spreading the thaler throughout practically the entire Islamic world. Until well into the 20th century, it was a recognised means of payment in large parts of Africa and Asia, including on the Indian subcontinent.

A tanaghilt is sometimes called an "Agadez Cross" – though the term is borrowed from the French and not from the Berber language. Some take the view that that this small pendant echoes the military medals worn by French officers. It may also symbolise a lizard's tail or be a phallic symbol, or serve as a variation of the ancient Egyptian ankh, the symbol of life. Maybe it offers protection from the evil eye? There are many interpretations and many stories. That was just a small selection.