Photos

Comments

• 

  Eva Baby January 19, 2014 at 12:41pm

   very nice, I have never seen a triangle  Zar pendant, it reminds me -if one does not consider the Arabic writing on top - of Ethiopian pendants (telsums) made with the granulation and the dangles. I like them all, but especially the "unusual" ones (squares and triangle).
• 

  Alaa eddine SAGID January 19, 2014 at 1:19pm

  no wonder EVA as Zar rituals were directly imported to Egypt from Sudan and Ethiopia!

  AS for the triangle shape i think it is the other way around, as it reached Ethiopia from either yemen or egypt
• 

  Eva Baby January 19, 2014 at 1:51pm

  @Very interesting! I realize that many jewellery designs and types in Ethiopia came from Yemen, about Egypt I do not know, but geographically it is possible. 
• 

  ingrid Langerak January 19, 2014 at 8:05pm

  I have seen only one pendant with engraving simular to the top right one. And the triangle pendants appear in Eritrea not used in Ethiopia. I will show later in the week the triangle I have from Eritrea.(no arabic writing more with the usual filegrain and granulate decoration.
• 

  Leonor Arnó January 19, 2014 at 8:30pm

  Another thing to look at on these pendants are the human figure (or mermaid!) as is not very used in Islamic jewelry or islamic decoration in general. I bought some years ago some amulets in Iran, some with strange signs and some others with human figures, like couples. I was told then that this was rare, and that is was easier to find Arabic writing and other signs than human figures.
  I'll try to upload some pictures tomorrow.
• 

  ingrid Langerak January 19, 2014 at 8:43pm

  Right Alaa the one I have got has this mermaid figure on it.  I also will dick it up later. (I am still involved with a time consuming project). Exciting.  You know that  there are seacows at the coast of Eritrea and those sailors used to mistake them as mermaids, who knows.
• 

  Harald January 20, 2014 at 2:19pm

  No mermaid this time but a Djinn, she is Safina (or Sitt) the sister of Sid the "sultan of the Nile". You see them often together on Hijab-Qalb=Zar amulets from Egypt. On the other side is always written a part of Sura 2, verse 256. 

  The origion of Zar seems to be African, far to the south. The triangular, moon-shaped and square ones are part of   "necklaces" on a chain worn in pairs under the armpits. There exist also oblong ones that come in pairs (worn on the temples). Also with Djinns, Coran text, fishes (representitives of Yawri Bay an other Djinn).

  On the bazu bands from Iran you sometimes see also 2 figures: man and woman.

  They are so interesting these zar amulets! Moslims woman wearing them (not allowed of course) but they wear the Djinns towards their clothing so you do not see them! 

  The square ones have text, flowers, birds, stripes and with a crown (strange!).

  Here are some pictures:

  

  

  

  
• 

  Leonor Arnó January 20, 2014 at 5:40pm

  
• 

  Leonor Arnó January 20, 2014 at 5:41pm

  These are the amulets I bought in Iran, some years ago. Are then this human figures djins?
• 

  Leonor Arnó January 20, 2014 at 5:42pm