A very rare antique silver zar amulet from Egypt. This pendant is worn in a ritual called the zar (visit) which is meant to appease the spirit that dwells in people, usually women.
The amulet is shaped as a rectangle with the protective phrases "الله أكبر" and "بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم meaning "God is greater" and "In the name of God the most compassionate and merciful" hand engraved into the silver. It has 5 dangles called galagil which make sound with movement. This pendant has a short link chain from which the pendant used to be pinned to clothes or a head dress. There is an assay mark for 60% pure silver on both the pendant and chain. The other marks identify the pendant as assayed between the years 1953-59. A similar pendant can be seen in The Enchanted Jewelry of Egypt by Azza Fahmy. It is in great condition for its age.
Zar jewelry was essential to the ritual which involved a lot of rhythmic music and dancing. Run by women for women, the only male attendants of the zar were musicians. The purpose of the ritual was to appease the spirits that have inhabited a body, but may in fact act to release the psychological pressures experienced by women in their daily lives. The zar jewelry is becoming as much a rarity as the zar ritual itself which is now frowned upon by secular and Islamist sectors in Egyptian society.
length of the chain is 65 (2 1/2").
The length of the pendant is 4 cm nearly 1 1/2".
Width is 2 cm (7/8") with the dangles adding another 1.2 cm (1/2").
