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Book/Printed Material Protective Scroll.

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About this Item

Title

  • Protective Scroll.

Summary

  • Produced in Iran in the 18th or 19th century, this small scroll is written on nearly transparent parchment made from the skin of gazelles. It is a hijab scroll, in the sense that it veils its meaning and offers protection from evil through sacred text. It is divided into 14 panels, edged in gold and green, which contain prayers, invocations of God, and Qur'anic verses in a carefully executed Arabic calligraphy. The last and longest prayer emphasizes the mystic character of ilm al-adad (numerology). The prayer panels are framed by a text border written alternately in red and blue ink. The parchment contains prayers imploring God to avert harm and calamity, disease and suffering, and ruin and inundation, and to repel devils, evil spirits, and demons as bearers of bad luck. The prayers also ask for protection against the evil eye, which plays such an important role in Islamic popular religion. The scroll is kept in a cylindrical case, to which a chain is attached. In Islamic culture, such scrolls are particularly worn by children, who are regarded as in need of protection from every kind of calamity.

Created / Published

  • [place of publication not identified] : [publisher not identified], [1700 to 1899]

Headings

  • -  Iran, Islamic Republic of
  • -  1700 to 1899
  • -  Amulets
  • -  Illuminations
  • -  Islamic manuscripts
  • -  Magic
  • -  Prayer
  • -  Religious articles
  • -  Scrolls

Notes

  • -  Title devised, in English, by Library staff.
  • -  "BSB shelfmark: Cod.arab. 2616|This description of the work was written by Helga Rebhan."--Note extracted from World Digital Library.
  • -  Original resource extent: 1 scroll, parchment : illuminated ; 76.5 x 4.4 centimeters.
  • -  Original resource at: Bavarian State Library.
  • -  Content in Arabic.
  • -  Description based on data extracted from World Digital Library, which may be extracted from partner institutions.

Medium

  • 1 online resource.

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2021668211

Online Format

  • compressed data
  • pdf
  • image

Additional Metadata Formats

IIIF Presentation Manifest

Rights & Access

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Credit Line: [Original Source citation], World Digital Library

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

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Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Protective Scroll. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1899, 1700] Pdf. https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668211/.

APA citation style:

(1700) Protective Scroll. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1899] [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2021668211/.

MLA citation style:

Protective Scroll. [Place of Publication Not Identified: Publisher Not Identified, to 1899, 1700] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2021668211/>.