Although this isn't the traditional henna design, I wanted to explore henna before experiencing it abroad. Henna has deep roots in Moroccan history when Berbers first migrated to the area. Henna is a type of plant which was one of the first to appear in Morocco. In cave paintings of prehistoric humans of North Africa, we are able to see the beginnings of designs that reflected their daily lives as hunters and gathers. Early Berber images reflect aspects of their rural lives, connected to nature and the agrarian cycle. These early images include planting, harvesting, the sun, moon and earth. It is said that these symbols are not only for decoration, but also for protection from the evil spirits believed to dwell in the surrounding trees and streams. More recent designs include, magic numbers and squares, verses from the Koran, Arabic script, geometric shapes triangles, squares, crosses, six and eight-pointed stars, spirals, circles and diamonds as well as motifs representing plants, flowers, humans, eyes and hands in addition to odd numbers that appear to be significant in henna design.
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