Silver of the Possessed : Sidestone Press : 9789464280722 : 9464280727 : 28 Jul 2024 : In the 19th century an African possession cult called zar arrived in Egypt and became hugely popular. Jewellery formed an integral part of this cult, and silver pendants with images of spirits started to appear in the early 20th century. And there is more: zar also used beaded jewellery as well as a wide range of other jewels. Currently, jewellery items with spirit images are sought-after collectors' items, present in collections of both private collectors and museums. These collections also hold a wide variety of other pieces called 'zar jewellery', and many jewellery pieces labelled 'zar' are available online. But what is 'zar jewellery', exactly? With collectors, curators, historians and ethnographers in mind, Silver of the Possessed places jewellery of the Egyptian zar in its cultural and historical context. A catalogue of previously unpublished jewellery in private collections illustrates the