Turbans are very common in Northern Africa. The tagelmust is the turban worn by the Tuareg (pronounced TWAH-reg) men of the Sahara Desert (Look at a map of Africa and locate the Sahara Desert in the top 1/3 of the continent!) Only the men wear a head covering among the Tuareg people. The women do not. The turban is very useful for these people who are constantly exposed to the sun and blowing sand.
The tradition of the tagelmust (turban) for the Tuareg men began with the belief that the covering could ward off evil spirits. Tuareg men begin wearing the turban when they reach manhood. Tuareg men are often referred to as the “Blue Men of the Sahara” because their traditional robes and turbans are indigo (dark blue) in color and often stain their skin dark blue. The indigo turban is still used for special occasions, but the Tuareg robes and turbans are now very diverse in color, and generally lighter.
How to tie a tagelmust:
Begin with 3 yards of cotton, linen or muslin cloth (medium to dark blue if available).
About one yard from the end, tie a loose knot in the fabric.
Open the long end of the fabric. With the knot at the back of the neck, place the long end over the top of the head, allowing the other end to drape over the front of the body.
Gather all loose material at the forehead and twist the material twice.
As you continue twisting the fabric, have your model slowly turn to the right. Keep tension in the fabric as they turn, begin wrapping the twisted fabric around the head.
Go over the knot in the back.
Continue wrapping the twisted fabric around the head until the fabric ends.
Tuck the end into the twisted fabric to hold it in place.
Untie the knot in the back and twist clockwise once.
Bring it over the right shoulder.
Take one corner of the fabric and bring it over the left shoulder under the chin and tuck it into the back of the turban.
Take the other corner and pull the fabric tightly in the opposite direction, across the face, tucking that corner in the back of the turban.
Cool! You look very mysterious!