76. Description of a Jam^i-ehihil Jcalld^ such as tha 



ferrcd to in Lances Modern Egyptians, page 254. 



By LiEUT.-CoLONEL D, 0. Phfllott, Secretary^ Board of 



Examiners, 



1 



That now described is a bowl (jam)^ of brass, 6| mclies 

 in diametet', with a rimmed edg-e and a small dome in the centre. 

 To a hole in the rim is attached a strinqr, at the end of which 

 are 40 sm;tll pieces of brass called kaltd or *' keys." On the 

 Tipper side of the rim of the bowl is engraved the Sura-yi Fatiha. 

 On the dome is engraved : 



«Ut ill aJf 51 «i^i Mf M 3/ 



and certain a^ind-i-tiUam^ or numerals ^i^insf the numerical value 

 of some of the names of God, or of certain passages from the 

 Qur*an. 



On the bottom, round the dome, are the names of God and the 



" Pan] Tan,'' ' that is to say c^**^ cr^ **^^» t5^ ^"^^ *^' 



I'he space between the bottom and the rini is occupied by the 

 Ayit^-H'Kfi'si ( which Is part of the Surat^ 'l-Baqarak) and by the 



whole of the Svrat^'l-Ikhlas. 



On the under side of the rim are numerous other a^dad-i- 

 tilism. 



On the outside of the bowl is the >Swra^* 'n-NdSy at the bottom 



being a line of a^iUd-i'tHism. 



Each of the '' keys " bears on one side the words aW^ f^^ 



and on the other i^i^^^l ^^^^a.yf. 



Bowls such as th<^se vary in size, and there are often dif- 

 ferences in the inscriptions. 



For usp, the bowl is filled with water, which is stirred with 

 the forty keys forty times. The fingers are then dir»ped in the 

 water and applied to tlie eyes and throat of a sick child, and a 

 small quantity of the holy water U also given it to drink. For 

 a gri»wn-up person possessed by a devil, the water is sprinkled 

 over the head and body. The water that remains over, alter use, 

 is cast into a well or poured over the roots of trees, for it mast 

 not be trodden under f 'ot. 



1 The n^mes of the " Panj Tan^* indicate that this pHrtlcular bowl is 



of Shi ah make. 



