Turkish Prayer Beads (Tesbih)

The tesbih is Türkiye's most personal object: thirty-three beads turned over in the hand, at prayer or simply while thinking. Erzurum is the centre for oltu stone — a deep black jet, cut and polished by hand — while other makers work amber, kuka, mother-of-pearl and solid silver. The imame (the head bead) and the tassel are where a maker shows what they can do.