inhalation of wind-borne sand by its wearers in the Sahara region. The indigo is believed by many of the wearers to be healthy and beautiful, with a buildup of indigo in the skin of the wearer being generally considered to protect the skin, and denote affluence. Because of the scarcity of water, the tagelmust is often dyed by pounding in dried indigo instead of soaking it. The dye often permanently leaches into the skin of the wearer, and because of this, the Tuareg are often referred to as the "blue men of the desert". Among the Tuareg, men who wear the tagelmust are called Kel Tagelmust, or "People of the Veil". The tagelmust is worn only by adult males, and only taken off in the presence of close family. Tuareg men often find shame in showing their mouth or nose to strangers or people of a higher standing than themselves, and have been known to hide their features using their hands if a tagelmust is unavailable. The tagelmust has other cultural significance, as the manner in which it is wrapped and folded is often used to show clan and regional origin, and the darkness to which it is dyed showing the wealth of the wearer. In literature and folklore A number of legends were invented to explain the custom of male veiling. When one fell in battle and lost his litham, his friends could not recognize him until it was put back on. The word litham and its derivatives have been widely used in Arabic literature, in particular by the poets, who commonly employed puns between the general meaning of litham as veil and the verbal root lathama, which means "to kiss". In One Thousand and One Nights women use the litham to disguise themselves as men. The classical dictionary Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur treats lifam as a separate word, describing it as a mouth veil worn by women. See also References Further reading Islamic male clothing Veils African clothing Headgear Berber culture Scarves Shawls and wraps