Protective Sacred Words

These inscriptions look like Mezuzot in Jewish tradition, but they are different in the way they function. They are used for “protection” rather than any thing else and there is no exact rules for their placement. Also unlike mezuzah placing these sacred text on the door frames is not “wajib” (mandatory) as they are for the Jewish people in the Diaspora. Interestingly, despite years of usage, there is still not a common word in Persian for these sacred protective inscriptions.

The next four photographs are taken in the city of Rasht. (Photos by Marjan Hamdami)