Publication Date
The eighteenth century (?) dating was determined by Muradilo Saidov based on his personal experience
Publication Place
Jinau settlement, Mirishkor district, Qashqadaryu region (Uzbekistan) -
Saint Petersburg Museum of Islamic Culture
Subject
Silver, coral, river pearl, semi-precious stone, wire drawing, wire twisting, welding, cut-off cutting, polishing, drilling
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 2.0 سم ، العرض: 2.4 سم ، الوزن: 144.79 غرام
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
MIC 03-2
Record ID
object;EPM;rs;Mus21;2;ar
Library Location
Saint Petersburg Museum of Islamic Culture
Date
The eighteenth century (?) dating was determined by Muradilo Saidov based on his personal experience
Notes
This ring/ring, which is placed in the nasal septum between the nostrils, is known as arawak or arabik, and such rings indicate a sign of ethnic identity and family status for elderly women in the Jinao settlement. According to the residents of Jinnao, this type of jewelry distinguishes them from other ethnic groups in Central Asia. The section of the ring that passes through the barrier is made of flat silver wire that forms a crescent shape and resembles a bow. One end of the section is left unattached, and this open end is engraved with cuneiform inscriptions and notches. The other end of the nostril septum section is soldered to a piece of silver wire which forms the base of the ring. Instead of connecting the open end of the section of the septum between the nostrils, the wire goes back up and twists around the section of the septum between the nostrils, forming a ring or circle. Within this circle of wire there are beads decorating the ring. Firstly, there is a large bead made of a semi-precious stone of cobalt. In nose rings of this type, the largest of these is a blue or green bead and is called “Leto Tash” (meaning the guardian stone), as it is traditionally believed that the nose ring is a guardian amulet. Working towards the outside of the lito tash there is a spiral silver wire, a smaller bead made of a coral-like stone, and another spiral of silver wire. Qualitatively, a septum ring between the nostrils can be used to secure a facial veil. Some Jinao women, instead of wearing a chain, connect their nose ring to a sacred temple ornament hanging as an alternative symbol to the facial veil, and niqabs are not widespread in Bedouin societies. Arab settlers brought the tradition of a nose ring in a septum between the nostrils to Central Asia. Due to the Arab conquests, Arab tribes settled in the northwest of the Arab region along the Silk Road and eventually in the region that is now known as Uzbekistan in the tenth century AH/sixteenth century. AD These tribes return to present-day Afghanistan, especially the cities of Aghan Balkh, Sheberghan, and Andkhoy. Something similar to a nose ring for the septum between the nostrils in Jinaw was recorded in the Dhofar Governorate (Sultanate of Oman). The nose ring for the septum between the nostrils in Dhofar is called Khasafa or Khasama, and it refers to married girls, where upon puberty the nasal septum is pierced, revealing the nostrils for the girl to put on the nose ring as soon as marriage is complete.
Sample Text
Dr. Anna Yu. Kudriavtceva, Prof. Dr. Sc. Efim A. Rezvan “Nose ring between the nostrils” in Discover Islamic Art Collections. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;EPM;rs;Mus21;2;ar
