Evil Eye (Middle East)
Middle East
A blue glass bead charm that reflects the envious gaze before it can cause harm.
Middle East
15 charms from this country
Iran's ancient Persian civilization has produced one of the world's richest traditions of protective amulets, predating Islam by millennia. Turquoise mined in the Nishapur region of Khorasan has been prized for over two thousand years as a stone of protection and good fortune — Persian warriors set it in their sword hilts and armor. The hand of Fatima (kaf-e Fatima) is worn by Shia Muslims as a devotional amulet invoking the Prophet's daughter.
The evil eye (chashm-e bad) is guarded against with blue beads, Quranic verses, and rue (espand) burned as incense to drive away envy. At Nowruz (Persian New Year), the haft-sin table is set with seven auspicious items — wheatgrass, vinegar, garlic, sumac, apple, hyacinth, and coins — to draw in abundance for the new year. Wild rue seeds are burned and waved around a person's head to cleanse bad luck.
Middle East
A blue glass bead charm that reflects the envious gaze before it can cause harm.
Middle East
An open palm amulet warding off the evil eye across Middle Eastern and North African cultures.
Middle East / North Africa
The sacred open palm named for the Prophet Muhammad's daughter, a cornerstone of Islamic protective symbolism.
Iran
The ancient sky-stone of the world's oldest cultures, worn as a charm of protection, communication, and the sacred turquoise bridge between earth and heaven.
Iran
The magnificent mythical bird of Persian legend, a creature of wisdom, healing, and the unity of all knowledge.
Iran
The winged divine figure of Zoroastrian Iran, symbol of good thoughts, good words, and good deeds.
Iran
The ancient Persian eye charm — cheshm nazar — protecting against envy with the same blue eye tradition spanning from Iran to Greece.
Iran
The sky-blue gemstone mined in Iran for 5,000 years, believed to protect against the evil eye and bring victory in battle.
Iran
The seven-S Nowruz table — Iran's ancient New Year blessing ritual arranging seven symbolic items to invite spring's full abundance.
Iran
A miniature of the Persian New Year's sacred table of seven symbolic items, inviting abundance and renewal.
Middle East
The tree of life of the desert, symbol of abundance in arid lands and the most generous of all Arabic trees.
Middle East
The crescent moon and star, a symbol of Islamic faith found on mosques, flags, and protective amulets across the Muslim world.
Middle East
Thirty-three or ninety-nine beads used to count the ninety-nine names of Allah and cultivate mindful devotion.
Middle East / North Africa
A miniature of Islamic architecture's most stunning art form, carrying the protective power of geometric perfection.
Iran
The teardrop-shaped motif from ancient Persia that conquered the world's textile traditions and became a global symbol of flowing beauty.