The Hamsa is an open-hand-shaped amulet widely found in the Maghreb, the Middle East, and several Mediterranean communities. Its name comes from the word meaning “five,” referring to the five fingers. It has different names depending on the community: Hand of Fatima in Muslim traditions, Hand of Miriam in Jewish traditions, and other names in the region’s Christian communities. Its most consistent function is apotropaic: the hand protects, wards off the evil eye, and may feature an eye, a fish, inscriptions, or other symbols in its palm.
| Form | Stylized open hand, sometimes symmetrical with two thumbs |
|---|---|
| Name | Hamsa / Khamsa, “five” |
| Common names | Hand of Fatima, Hand of Miriam |
| Main function | Protective amulet against the evil eye |
| Associated motifs | Central eye, fish, inscriptions, numbers, and ornaments |
How can you recognize a Hamsa?
The Hamsa takes the form of an open hand viewed from the front. Some versions follow realistic anatomy with four fingers and a lateral thumb; others adopt a perfectly symmetrical composition in which two thumbs frame three central fingers. This symmetry is very common in jewelry and hanging objects.
The palm may remain empty or feature an eye, inscriptions, fish, floral motifs, and religious symbols. These additions do not change the hand's overall identity, but they provide information about the environment in which the object was produced or used.
The British Museum holds Moroccan amulets from the late 19th century described as “Hand of Fatima” or khamsa. The Jewish Museum in London, for its part, displays hamsa objects used in Sephardic traditions. The same outline thus circulates among several communities.
Why does it have several names?
In Muslim contexts, the hand is often called the Hand of Fatima, referring to Fatima, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. In Jewish contexts, it may be called the Hand of Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron. The term Hamsa or Khamsa avoids privileging any one of these lineages and recalls the number five.
These names should not be turned into proof of a simple origin. The protective hand motif has a much broader Mediterranean history, and preserved objects show exchanges among artisans, communities, and regions.
The Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin emphasizes that Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa used the hand motif, giving it different names. The history of the Hamsa is therefore a history of sharing as much as of successive religious appropriations.
What is its connection to the evil eye?
The Hamsa primarily serves to divert or ward off the evil eye, meaning the envious gaze that several traditions attribute with the power to bring misfortune, illness, or loss. The open hand becomes a protective gesture, almost a visual stop opposing the dangerous gaze.
Adding an eye to the palm reinforces this function. It is not the same symbol as the Nazar, but the two amulets are frequently combined because they address the same threat through different forms.
The Pitt Rivers Museum houses composite amulets in which hands and blue eyes are combined. These objects show that the combination is not a recent invention of commercial decoration: it belongs to a well-established protective vocabulary around the Mediterranean.
Can it be attributed to a single religious origin?
No. Explanations that present the Hamsa as an exclusively Islamic, Jewish, or ancient invention simplify a much more complex matter. Images of protective hands existed before these religions emerged, but establishing a direct lineage between every ancient hand and the modern Hamsa requires evidence that the iconography does not always provide.
The historically certain point is the enduring spread of the amuletic hand in regions where several religious traditions coexisted. The names Fatima and Miriam give the motif a communal interpretation, while its protective function remains widely shared.
Historical caution therefore does not diminish the symbol. On the contrary, it helps explain why the same form can be recognized by different cultural communities without belonging exclusively to any one of them.
How should its contemporary uses be interpreted?
The Hamsa is now worn as jewelry, hung in homes, and used as a decorative motif. It can express protection, family identity, attachment to a tradition, or simply the search for a beneficial sign.
Its contemporary popularity strengthens its associations with peace, blessing, and good luck. These modern interpretations extend the historical protective function, but they do not replace the specific contexts of ancient objects.
In the Book of Symbols, the Hamsa is best read alongside the Nazar and the Eye of Horus: three protective amulets associated with the gaze, but originating in distinct traditions and periods.
Historical sources and reference points
The Jewish Museum London presents the Hamsa as a protective amulet used in Sephardic traditions. The British Museum houses a Moroccan Khamsa from the late 19th century and notes its use by Muslims or Jews against the evil eye.
