Elibende

Elibende (also Elbende, Elbendi) is a figure that appears in Anatolian, Caucasian, and Central Asian kilim traditions. It is typically rendered as a bilaterally symmetrical figure: a central lozenge or hourglass torso, arms bent upward and outward at the elbows (the "hands on hips" position from which one interpretation of her name derives), and legs descending in stepped geometric form. In kilim weaving, all curves are replaced by diagonals and steps, the form is built entirely from the angular logic of weft-faced construction.

Elibende appears across a continuous belt from Anatolia through the Caucasus to Central Asia, which points to a very old and widespread origin. The figure is generally read as a protective one. Its visual relationship to the North African Tanit sign and to other Mediterranean figures is noted by people who study how these forms recur across the region.

Unlike Tanit, Elibende does not have a strong documented presence in Moroccan Amazigh weaving specifically, though related figures appear in some Saharan and eastern Moroccan textile traditions. The connection is more through visual family and cultural continuity than direct citation.