Henna

It was in North Africa that the first henna plant appeared. The use of henna for decoration in Morocco goes back to the time when the Berbers first migrated to the area; they were long settled there when the Phoenicians and the Romans invaded North Africa. No one is certain of the Berber’s origins, but it is generally believed that they came from either Yemen or what is now Syria. It wasn’t until the 8th century that Arabs, spreading the word of Islam, invaded the Berber regions and added the Berber culture to their already rich mix.

In the cave paintings of prehistoric humans of North Africa, we can see the beginnings of designs that reflected their daily lives as hunters and gathers. Likewise, early Berber images reflect aspects of their rural lives, connected to nature and the agrarian cycle. Thus, planting, harvesting, reverence of the sun, moon, earth and the stars are all inherent in the symbolism of the Berber’s early cultural traditions and are carried on even today. Such symbols are not only for decoration but also for protection from the evil eye and from the evil spirits believed to dwell in the surrounding trees and streams.