This rectangular Zar amulet pendant is a vintage silver Egyptian plaque, hand engraved and worn as a ritual charm in the Zar rites of Egypt.
It is made of 600 silver and carries a cat hallmark, which dates it to the 1920s to 1940s.
The Zar is a possession cult of Egypt, rarely seen beyond it. Its ceremonies set out to calm a Zar spirit thought to have taken hold of a person and brought on illness, through ecstatic dance, drum beating, rousing music and burning incense, usually over a few days. The patient wears numerous amulets and pieces of jewelry, depending on the spirit. The Zar spirit is represented on this amulet, which was usually worn hung on the headdress.
Wear it on a chain or cord, or display it with a collection of Middle Eastern ethnographic jewelry.