Nazar Boncuğu

Decoding the Name:

The world nazar comes from the Arabic word ظَرَ  (naẓara) ‏which means to watch over/protect. It is an eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye. Many cultures in the Mediterranean and Middle East believe in the evil eye and have some form of protective amulet. In Turkey, the amulet is called nazar boncuğu (pronounced nazar bonjoo). Boncuğu comes from the Turkish word boncuk, meaning bead.

The Evil Eye

The Evil Eye is a negative force that can cause illness, bad luck, misfortune, or even death. It can be cast by a person who envies another. The belief in the Evil Eye is not just a Turkish tradition. The cultures of many countries feature a similar phenomenon including Greece, India, Pakistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Azerbaijan, Iran, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Iraq, Armenia, and others.

People believe receiving a lot of attention or compliments/praise can attract the Evil Eye. 

Amica Lykiardopoulos explains that being different from the majority of the community can cause someone to be considered possessor of the Evil Eye. For example, in the Mediterranean where dark eyes are common, people with blue or green eyes are thought to possesses the Evil Eye, whereas in Europe, people with dark eyes are thought to have it (Lykiardopoulos, 223).

The first glance of the Evil Eye is said to be the most powerful. Therefore, a protective amulet should be striking in appearance to direct the attention of this initial look away from the wearer. The nazar boncuğu, acting as a distraction or decoy, absorbs the negative force and protects the wearer. If one breaks, it is said to be because the bead absorbed a particularly strong negative force. The broken amulet should be replaced as soon as possible (La Roux).

Why So Blue?

There are different stories about why the nazar boncuğu is blue. In some cases it is said that blue is the color of protection. "According to Turkish belief, blue acts as a shield against evil and even absorbs negativity” (Williams, 344).

In the Middle East and the Mediterranean, "blue eyes are relatively rare, so the ancients believed that people with light eyes, particularly blue eyes, could curse you [one] with just one look.”

A nazar generally takes the form of a blue-eye, because foreigners, were more likely to have blue eyes, were also more likely to stare, thereby unwittingly contravening local convention, and, by admiring the children or possessions of their hosts, accidentally casting the evil eye upon them."

Materials & Beliefs

A typical nazar is made of handmade glass featuring concentric circles or teardrop shapes in dark blue, white, light blue and black, occasionally with a yellow/gold edge "The bead is made of a mixture of molten glass, iron, copper, water, and salt, ingredients that are thought to shield people from evil” (Williams, 344).

People will hang a nazar in their car, shop, or house. Horses are often seen with a nazar amulet. Though domestic animals are thought to be vulnerable to the Evil Eye, Turks and others believe horses are especially susceptible (Lykiardopoulos, 224).

Nazar and Children

Children are considered particularly vulnerable to the Evil Eye. People in Turkey avoid staring at children or commenting on their appearance for fear of attracting the Evil Eye. Traditionally, people will keep a newborn away from strangers and call the infant "ugly" instead of cute for 40 days (Karslı, 542).

In an increasingly social media driven world, this practice is at odds with parents sharing images of their children online, particularly in announcing the birth of a new baby. In the article, "Becoming Visible Without Being Seen in Turkey: Evil Eye and Infant Imagery on Instagram," Pelin Aytemiz Karslı explains that many mothers in Turkey share images of their newborns, but obscure the face with an emoji. One mother noted, "I only shared my baby with an emoji on her face for 40 days as there is pressure on me about the evil eye" (Karslı, 518). 

People pin a nazar to the clothing of newborn babies to protect them from negative energy or gift the baby nazar jewelry.

Works Cited/Suggested Reading

Aytemiz Karslı, Pelin. "Becoming Visible Without Being Seen in Turkey: Evil Eye and Infant Imagery on Instagram." Visual Anthropology 37.5. October 2024. 517-548.

La Roux, Nicholas. "What Is Nazar in Turkish Culture? The Evil Eye Tradition Explained."Turkish Fluent Blog. (2026).

Lykiardopoulos, Amica. "The Evil Eye: Towards an Exhaustive Study." Folklore 92.2 (1981). 221-230.

"The History and the Meaning of the Turkish Evil Eye." Made in Turkey Tours

Williams, Victoria. Celebrating Life Customs Around the World: From Baby Showers to Funerals. 2016.