A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
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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).
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
@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.
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.
I'll try to upload some pictures tomorrow.
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.
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:
These are the amulets I bought in Iran, some years ago. Are then this human figures djins?
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