A recently published study suggests that the objects, which were discovered in the 1990s along the historic Darb al-Hajj route from Cairo to Mecca, may have been used in magical ceremonies.
Dr. Itamar Taxel of the Israel Antiquities Authority recently published a research in which he examined a group of items found in the late 1990s at an archaeological site in the Eilat mountains. The Journal of Material Cultures in the Muslim World recently released their research.
The collection of artifacts was discovered by Moti Shemtov in the late 1990s along the old Darb al-Hajj route in the Eilat mountains of southern Israel. It contains pieces of table tennis ball-sized clay rattles that contained small stones and made sound when shaken. Along with other figures, including one of a bare-chested woman or goddess with raised hands, two items that resembled miniature votive incense altars were also discovered.
The study claims that these objects were used in mystical rituals to ward off the evil eye, treat illness, and other things.
Clay rattle fragment. Photo: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority.
According to the researchers, "this discovery reveals that people in the Early Ottoman Period—just as today—consulted popular sorcerers, alongside the formal belief in the official religion."
The ceramic objects came from Egypt, according to a study of them. The IAA claimed that this significant collection of ceremonial objects had never before been discovered, especially at a transient location as opposed to a permanent settlement.
Before continuing onto the Arabian Peninsula, the Darb al-Hajj left Cairo and passed via the Sinai Peninsula, the Eilat region, and the town of Aqaba. From the early centuries after the rise of Islam, or from the 7th century to the 19th century, this route was in use.
There have been found to be a number of pilgrims' campsites and buildings close to the Eilat mountains. These buildings appear to have been largely used throughout the Mamluk and Ottoman eras, which started in the 13th or 14th century C.E.
Colored quartz pebbles. Photo: Clara Amit, Israel Antiquities Authority.
Many of the items were found broken, according to Dr. Itamar Taxel, which suggests they may have been deliberately damaged during ceremonies.
The items were discovered broken, and it's possible that they were deliberately damaged during the rituals. It appears that one or more individuals with experience in common magical rituals performed these rituals at the location. From the literary sources, we can infer that people from many social strata had a need for magical rites. It is likely that pilgrims traveling to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina participated in such rites together with the formal religious ceremonies on a daily basis, especially in the Muslim world.
The Darb al-Hajj route intersects Eilat's municipal boundaries, positioning the city to become a part of a distinctive regional archaeological and tourist area, according to Omry Barzilai, the IAA's southern regional archaeologist.
