One day to go! It is so exciting that our sailing starts tomorrow. Once you are on the boat, have a look around and tell me whether you can find the Nazars (charm) that shall ward off the evil eye. It is not too difficult to find
Nazars for sale - on every corner shop in Turkey The evil eye is a curse cast by an malevolent look given to an unaware person. The evil eye will cause misfortune or injury but can easily be warded off by a permanently looking eye. The cult dates back to antiquity and is mentioned by several Greek and Roman writers and philosophers. The belief in the evil eye is wide spread in the Muslim world since Muhammad believed that the influence of the evil eye was real. Muslims are to say “Tabarak Allah (with the blessing of God)” when exposed to the malicious glare.
Hamsa hand - the protective talisman Several cultures developed different talisman to ward the evil eye off. Turkey mostly favors the Nazars. In the Arab world it is more often the off-putting Hamsa hand with an integrated eye. Whether any of these talisman actually work or whether there is really such a thing as the evil eye is debatable. I guess you can sense my view - i remain the rational Calvinist. Tourists and Turks however love the stuff. All the shops in every harbour and every town are full of it. It may not help against a curse but it definitely helps the bottom line of Turkish shop owners.
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