The Trilobites were hard shelled "exoskeleton", segmented creatures that existed over 520 million years ago in the ancient seas of Earth. To place their age in context, they had become extinct even before the Dinosaurs came into existence. They are regarded as the key signature creatures of the Paleozoic Era, the first era to exhibit a proliferation of the complex life forms that established the foundation of life as it is today.

Trilobites were amongst the early Arthropods, a phylum made up of over 150 families, about 5,000 genera and over 20,000 described species.

Their fossils are found in rocks of all continents and are especially prolific in the Sahara area of Erfoud, Morocco.

Below are some of the collection of the Hotel Taddart Museum, Midelt. They were truly stunning. Needless to say, later in our travels we just could not help ourselves from buying some rare and beautiful pieces.