El, Fatma Ana eli (hand, hand of Fatima)

What does it mean?

The hand is one of humanity’s oldest symbols: its traces go back to the red and black handprints on Palaeolithic cave walls and to the Neolithic wall panels at Çatalhöyük ^[1]. Its main meanings are protection from the evil eye, plenty and fortune, healing and avoiding danger ^[1]. In Turkish-Islamic culture the hand symbolises the protection, abundance and healing of Fatma Ana; before a birth, midwives say “The hand is not mine, it is Fadime Ana’s hand” ^[1]. According to the story, Fatma plunges her hand into the pot while stirring halva; this hand, pulled out by Ali, becomes a talisman that brings patience, loyalty and luck ^[1]. From Anatolia to North Africa, evil-eye charms often have an eye inside the hand ^[1].

Related plants

• Henna: Henna, applied to hands at weddings, births and religious holidays, is believed to protect from the evil eye and to bring long life and abundance.

Same theme

Sources

1. Fulya Savaş, “El Sembolünün Türk Seramik Sanatına Yansıması”, Dumlupınar Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 2025