Travel&Shopping: the Eye of Allah

Eye of Allah, Nazar Boncuk in Turkish, mauvais oeil in French, Böse Blick in German, Ayn hasad in Arab, or simply Evil Eye is a famous amulet against the “evil eye”. It is typical in Turkey, although in reality very often you will find it as gift in Greece.

Not infrequently this object is homes, offices, cars, women wear it like a jewel, used for bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, while is attacked on the clothing of infants with a safety pin, recently it is growing the trend of tattooing of this amulet.

Basically should be blue, but there are also colored variants. Its appearance is very similar to that of the Eye, there are very different sizes, but the classic form is usually the round. The blue color, it is not a coincidence, in fact, in the Aegean regions, people with light eyes, particularly blue, are very few and they are thought to bring bad luck, this belief stems from the fact that other nations, such as those of Northern Europe, with many people with light eyes, transgress the local custom of watching the kids and let them compliments.

The belief is that even if well-intentioned, compliments include a conscious or unconscious dose of envy and resentment, that happens especially when you get something new, like buying a new car, a house, the construction of a building, a new business or even, in fact, a new birth. The force of the evil eye (Nazar) is a widely accepted and feared element in Turkish daily life.

The Eye of Allah, in reality, is not associated with any type of religious significance, but above all to an ancient legend. It is said that the Turks tried to move a big rock by sea, even with the strength of 100 men, this was not possible, then tried to destroy it with dynamite, but nothing. In this town by the sea, lived a man who was said to be able to cast the evil eye, so the inhabitants led him near the rock, as soon as the man exulted: “What a great Rock” was heard a loud roar and the rock split open in front of those present.