286 
MEDICAL PRACTICES AND SUPERSTITIONS OE KORDOFAN 
Cost of charms 
Use of the 
Koran 
in charms 
peculiar to such writings, in which for greater mysticism letters and numbers are used, 
mostly of the ordinary type but possessing different significance. 
A “ Khatim ” (seal) (Figs. 61 and 62) usually forms the nucleus for the charm ; it consists 
of a sub-divided square (10-30 sub-divisions or more), each division containing a sign, letter, 
word, or pious ejaculation, or again numbers, letters and signs representing the name of a 
holy person, or simply a variety of “abracadabra" arrangement. Such nuclei are, again, 
surrounded, as a rule, by long repetitions of holy words and phrases (reading in corkscrew 
fashion from within oiitwards), the exact number of repetitions having an important bearing 
on the remedy aimed at—while distributed through the text, commonly at the beginning 
and end of passages, are various mysterious signs, such as; — 
Sign of Suliman (Solomon) | | Sign of Adrise (Enoch) 
— or Signs of Daoud (David) _ Sign of Liiot (Lot) 
Sign of Sheet (Seth) 
which must surely appeal to the illiterate eye. 
The more mystic and less Koranic of these Ketabat can be produced Ijy utterly 
ignorant Fikis who have but the slightest knowledge of reading and writing, sufficient to 
place on paper a few hackneyed words and exjiressions. Some do not even possess 
this rudimentary knowledge, and palm off on their credulous clients the most blatant 
forgeries composed of a series of scribbles resembling somewhat the genuine article, 
which they have taken as model. (Figs. 74 77.) One such impostor was, a short time ago, 
detected, tried and imprisoned at El Obeid, and a large number of his fraudulent wares 
confiscated. 
The cost, too, of these charms is outrageous. From the poorest the Fiki claims at least 
10 to 50 piastres' a pajjer, while from the well-to-do sometimes many hundreds of piastres 
or their equivalent in kind, as also like extortions for prayers, ceremonies, sacrifices, etc. 
The less pretentious liut more scholarly Ketab consists simply of selected quotations 
from the Koran of verses and chapters recognised as having s^^ecific effect on specified 
complaints, etc., or even verses referring by word alone to the part (eye, ear, etc.) affected. 
Thus for protection against the attack of evil spirits there are certain verses from the 
chapter of “ Genii ” (71) and the chapter of “The Cow” (2) verses 55 and 254. .fgainst 
the attack of enemies and the evil eye “ The Chair,” certain verses from the chapiter of “ The 
Cow”—which is held in the very highest esteem, .\gainst all bodily disease the chapter of 
“The Unity” (112) which, together wdth the chapter of “The Cow,” is looked upon as 
particularly holy and powerful in effecting good. 
In diseases of the eye, “ The Splitting Asunder” (64, verses 21 and 30). For headache 
chapter 93, verses 20 to 24. 
At child-birth — “Abu Lahab ” (111); “The Opening ” (94) is another very favourite 
chapter, read aloud before the commencement of any treatment, and set on paper as a charm. 
Ketabat may also be derived from the sui^plementary Holy Books and from the 
writings of holy men, amongst whom is numbered the Mahdi. The prayers and 
exhortations issued by him during his life are still copied and circulated in all good 
faith, a faith which is deemed to have no limitations to its power of cure, save those 
arising through the unholy living and fleshly weakness of the patient and practitioner. 
■Vbout two to ten shillings English money. 
