Litham (Arabic: لِثَام, romanized: lithām, sometimes pronounced lifam) is a mouth-veil which the Tuareg and other West and North African nomads, particularly men, have traditionally used to cover the lower part of their face.

[1] Wearing of the litham is not viewed as a religious requirement, although it was apparently believed to provide magical protection against evil forces.

[1] Ancient African rock engravings depicting human faces with eyes but no mouth or nose suggest that the origins of litham are not only pre-Islamic but even pre-historic.

[2] The Almohads, who succeeded the Almoravids as the dominant dynasty in the North African region, opposed the practice of wearing the litham, claiming that it is forbidden for men to imitate women's dress, but they never managed to suppress its use.

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.

[1][9] The classical dictionary Lisan al-Arab by Ibn Manzur treats lifam as a separate word, describing it as a mouth veil worn by women.