Whilst travelling in Turkey you will definitely come across the evil eye in the form of beads, jewellery, door decorations and many more.
The history of the Nazar dates back about 5000 years, as early as the Paleolithic Age. This symbol is present across many religions and cultures but most significant in the Muslim, Jewish and Christian faiths.
The earliest known belief in the power of the Nazar or evil eye as some call it, dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times. It is known by al-ayn in Arabic, in most regions throughout the Middle East and Turkey.
The evil eye curse originates from jealousy, malice or simply bragging about oneself. It can be inflicted onto another person with a look or a stare. The superstition holds that this evil eyed gaze or stare could actually inflict harm or disaster onto the receiver of the look. The evil eye curse is often characterized by misfortune, such as a streak of bad luck, a loss of fortune, falling ill or falling prey to injury.
The evil eye is one of the most widely recognized symbols across the globe, and despite some differences across various cultures, it holds the same meaning no matter where the story is told.
In Turkey however, it is believed that the curse was the biggest threat to anyone who is praised or those who received excessive admiration. As such, the Turkish created the Nazar Boncuk charm also known as the Turkish Eye Bead. It is characterized by a dark eye set against a blue background.
The premise of the evil eye bead is to ward off evil spirits by staring back at the world, keeping you safe from harm. Turkish people attach evil eye beads to everything they wish to protect from the curse this includes their home, their car, children and babies, pets and even themselves.
The Turkish eye consists of two shades of blue, a lighter and darker one along with white and sometimes yellow. In the center of the evil eye is the black dot representing an ever watchful protective eye. The color blue is a symbol of good karma and positive energy and in Turkey represents water meaning growth and prosperity. The lighter blue color is also said to represent the sky symbolizing truth and direct protection against evil.
In Turkey the evil eye beds or decorations are often given to new parents to protect their baby, to a new business owner, new house buyers and even hung in new cars.
The Turkish evil eye charms are normally made of glass and if your evil eye charm becomes cracked or shatters, this means it has served its purpose of protecting the wearer or owner of the object. As soon as the evil eye is cracked or damaged it must be replaced immediately with another to keep bad luck and evil at bay. The Turkish culture believes that bad energy is directed into the bead. Once it’s damaged it means the bad energy has been diverted away from the person and into the amulet instead.
You can find these wonderful Evil eye charms and decorations all over Turkey especially in touristic areas.