Magic in Middle East
The evil-eye bead, the djinn, ruqyah and the talisman, Kabbalah and Jewish amulets, and the ancient Babylonian and Persian arts. 172 entries on EveryJaadu so far.
Places of magic
Rome 11Jerusalem 6Meron 5Thebes 3Uruk 3Constantinople 2Damascus 2Mecca 2Paphos 2Persepolis 2Tiberias 2Abu Shudhr 1Ahvaz 1Alaca H枚y眉k 1al-Qurnah 1Amuka 1Andaman Islands 1Arima 1Assur 1Babylon 1Bawit 1Behistun 1Beqaa Valley 1Bern 1Bethlehem 1Biblioth猫que nationale de France 1Brisone River 1Carnuntum 1Cerrillos Hills 1Cilicia 1
Rites of the region
Esfand, the wild rue smokeChaharshanbe Suri fire-jumpingThe nazar boncu臒u, the blue beadRuqyah recitationKapparotThe red thread and Rachel's tombWriting a Jewish amulet (kame'a)
Countries
PurposeProtectionHealingSeeing and foretellingLuck and prosperityLove and attractionCursing and harmCleansing and purificationSpeaking with spirits and the deadChange and initiationBinding and oathsPower and authorityWonder and entertainment
WhoShamansFolk healersPriests and ritual specialistsWitches, sorcerers and cunning folkDiviners and readersMediums and the possessedCeremonial magicians and alchemistsHouseholds and ordinary peopleStage magiciansScholars and sceptics
BeliefHindu and TantricBuddhistJainMuslim and SufiJewishChristianSikhZoroastrianShinto and TaoistIndigenous and shamanicAfrican and Afro-diasporicPagan and NeopaganEsoteric and occultFolk and village customSecular and stageOther traditions
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 5 moreAstrology
A divinatory practice that reads human fate through the positions of celestial bodies.Belief 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 3 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite fortuneCharm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 5 moreEvil eye
A curse caused by an envious look and the charms used to block itBelief 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreHamsa禺賲爻丞
A palm-shaped amulet used across North Africa and the Middle East for protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚫馃嚛 Sudan and 5 moreIncense
Aromatic plant materials burned to release fragrant smoke for ritual, scent, or timekeeping.Substance 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 4 moreJinn噩賽賳賾
Supernatural beings in Islamic and pre-Islamic Arabian belief, capable of shapeshifting and living in society.Being 路 Protection 路 Cursing and harm Living
馃嚠馃嚪 Iran and 2 moreHaoma
A divine plant and spirit in Zoroastrianism, linked to healing and ancient rituals.Substance 路 Healing 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreIsaac Luria讬执爪职讞指拽 讘谉 砖诇诪讛 讗砖讻谞讝讬 诇讜旨专职讬指讗
A sixteenth-century rabbi who founded modern Kabbalah through oral teachings in Safed.Text 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreTefillin转职旨驻执诇执旨讬谉
Black leather boxes containing Torah scrolls, worn by Jewish men during weekday prayers.Charm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelBanishing
Ceremonial magic rites used to clear a space of spiritual influences before other workings.Rite 路 Cleansing and purification Living
馃嚞馃嚪 Greece and 1 moreCapnomancy
Divination by reading the shapes and movements of smoke from fires or incenseOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Protection Historical
馃嚥馃嚘 Morocco and 5 moreWild rue丕爻倬賳丿
A desert plant whose seeds hold psychoactive alkaloids and serve as incense in the Middle East.Substance 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚩 IraqBabylonian astrology
The first organized system of celestial divination in the ancient Near EastTradition 路 Protection 路 Seeing and foretelling Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 2 moreMezuzah诪职讝讜旨讝指讛
A scroll of Torah verses placed in a case on Jewish doorpostsCharm 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 3 moreCleromancy
A divination method that uses random chance to reveal divine willOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 3 moreAncient Mesopotamian religion
The polytheistic beliefs and practices of Sumer, Akkad, Assyria and Babylonia from 6000 BC to 500 ADTradition 路 Power and authority 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Historical
馃嚫馃嚘 Saudi Arabia and 1 moreDhikr匕賽賰賿乇
Islamic remembrance of God through repeated recitation and prayerRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚨馃嚫 Palestine and 1 moreRachel's TombQever Ra岣l; Qabr R膩岣ツ玪
A shared holy site near Bethlehem revered by Jews, Christians, and MuslimsTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Protection Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreTetragrammaton讬讛讜讛
The four-letter name of God in the Hebrew Bible, written as YHWH.Belief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyHamsa (sample)Khamsa
An open hand with an eye, hung on doors.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 5 moreBirkat haMinim讘专讻转 讛诪讬谞讬诐
A Jewish liturgical curse against apostates and Christians within the daily standing prayerRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreAmulet
A portable object worn or carried to ward off harm and invite protection.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚦 India and 3 moreAstrology
A divinatory practice that links celestial positions to human affairs and earthly eventsTradition 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Luck and prosperity Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelSegula住讙讜诇讛
A Jewish charm or ritual believed to bring protection, healing, or blessings.Charm 路 Protection 路 Healing Living
馃嚠馃嚪 IranFravashi
A personal spirit in Zoroastrian belief that guides the living and protects the dead.Being 路 Protection 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelAgrat bat Mahlat讗讙专转 讘转 诪讞诇转
A demon in Jewish tradition who rules over destructive spirits and night hours.Being 路 Cursing and harm Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreAna BeKoach讗谞讗 讘讻讞
A medieval Jewish liturgical poem linked to the 42-letter name of GodText 路 Power and authority 路 Protection Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreTariqa胤乇賷賯丞
A Sufi spiritual path and the community that follows itTradition 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreMawlid賲賵賱丿
An annual festival commemorating the birth of the Prophet MuhammadTradition 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 4 moreSufi whirlingSemazen
A spinning meditation practiced by Sufi dervishes to reach spiritual connection through music and movement.Rite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 4 moreChai讞讬
A Hebrew word and symbol meaning 'alive', used as an amulet and in Jewish culture.Charm 路 Protection 路 Luck and prosperity Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 3 moreSama爻賲丕毓
A Sufi ritual of listening, music, and whirling to reach spiritual ecstasyRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Change and initiation Living
馃嚬馃嚪 Turkey and 2 moreHadra丨囟乇丞
A collective Sufi ritual of remembrance and chanting to experience Divine PresenceRite 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚫馃嚘 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreBay'ah亘賷毓丞
An oath of loyalty and obedience given to a political or spiritual leader in Islamic traditionRite 路 Binding and oaths 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚠馃嚩 Iraq and 3 moreUmayyad tradition of cursing Ali
A state policy to denounce Ali during communal prayers under the Umayyad CaliphateRite 路 Cursing and harm 路 Binding and oaths Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 IsraelShekhinah砖职讈讻执讬谞指讛
The divine presence of God dwelling among people in Jewish and Islamic thoughtBelief 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Living
馃嚬馃嚪 TurkeyHittite sun disk
An ancient Anatolian bronze symbol used in Hattian and Hittite religious ceremoniesCharm 路 Speaking with spirits and the dead 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚜馃嚞 Egypt and 5 moreWorship of heavenly bodies
Veneration of stars, planets, and the sky as divine forces or deitiesTradition 路 Protection 路 Power and authority Historical
馃嚠馃嚤 Israel and 1 moreDream questionShe'elat Halom
A Jewish divination practice seeking prophetic answers through dreamsOracle 路 Seeing and foretelling 路 Healing Historical
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Rabisu: editor Austen Henry Layard , drawing by L. Gruner, Public domain, source
- Tetragrammaton: Lakisletter.gif : derivative work: Filii Henoch ( talk ), Public domain, source
- Amulet: Anonymous ( Egypt ) Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Incense: nakimusi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Jinn: VenusFeuerFalle, CC0, source
- Isaac Luria: Louski1, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Tefillin: Brooklyn Museum, CC BY 3.0, source
- Capnomancy: Tigerzeng, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Wild rue: Yuriy75, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Fravashi: Hooman Mallahzadeh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mezuzah: Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 pl, source
- Chai: BASWIM, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cleromancy: Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld, Public domain, source
- Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali: Anwar Rizvi, CC BY 2.0, source
- Hittite sun disk: Noumenon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Worship of heavenly bodies: Jean-Pierre Dalb茅ra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Ana BeKoach: Baruch Zvi Ring (c. 1872 - 1927) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, source
- Evil eye: FocalPoint, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Dhikr: Eug猫ne Baugnies, Public domain, source
- Rachel's Tomb: Lane-Poole, Stanley, Public domain, source
- Hadra: Zeinebtakouti, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sama: myself, Public domain, source
- Mawlid: Firdaus Latif, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Hamsa: Kritzolina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source