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Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians
Account of the Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians Author:Edward William Lane Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 338 Chapter XI. Superstitions—continued. One of the most remarkable traits in modern Egyptian superstition is the belief in written charms. The compositio... more »n of most of these amulets is founded upon magic; and occasionally employs the pen of almost every village schoolmaster in Egypt. A person of this profession, however, seldom pursues the study of magic further than to acquire the formulae of a few charms, most commonly consisting, for the greater part, of certain passages of the Ckoor-a'n, and names of God, together with those of spirits, genii, prophets, or eminent saints, intermixed with combinations of numerals, and with diagrams, all of which are supposed to have great secret virtues. The most esteemed of all hhegafbs (or charms) is a moos1hhaf (or copy of the Ckoor-a'n). It used to be the general custom of the Turks of the middle and higher orders, and of many other Moos'lims, to wear a small moos'hhaf in an embroidered leather or velvet case hung upon the right side by a silk string which passed over the left shoulder : but this custom is not now very common. During my former visit to this country, a respectable Turk, in the military dress, was seldom seen without a case of this description upon his side; though it often contained no hhega'b. The moos'hhaf and other hhega'bs are still worn by many women; generally enclosed in cases of gold, or of gilt or plain silver. To the former, and to many other charms, most extensive efficacy is attributed: they are esteemed preservatives against disease, enchantment, the evil eye, and a variety of other evils. The charm next in point of estimation to the moos'- hhaf is a book or scroll containing certain chapters of the Ckoor-a'n ; as the 6th, 18th, 36th, 44th, 55th, 67th, and 78th; or some others; generally seven.— Another...« less