All About the Turkish Evil Eye Beads

They have their eyes on you in Turkey

In Turkey, whatever activity you’re doing – shopping, walking, eating, traveling in a vehicle, you’ll see plenty of Evil Eyes “Nazar Boncuğu” looking at you. It’s an real evil eye paradise.

They’re embedded in concrete in pavements and walls, hanging from rear-view mirrors, on display in restaurants and bars, and offered for sale in every craft stall, market and souvenir shop. If you visit the craft market area in Gümüşlük, you can even watch the artisans firing these glass beads in their makeshift kilns.

Protected by Blue

The predominant colour on any Evil Eye is blue, which is believed to a protective colour. It’s no coincidence that front doors and window frames of the traditional white Mediterranean and Aegean sugar cube houses are painted blue – to ward off evil spirits.

On my first trip to Turkey, I ended up buying a vast array of glass evil eyes as gifts, and bought myself a set of guest towels with embroidered evil eyes on them from Turgutreis Market.

If you manage to make it out of the country, without purchasing, or being given, at least one evil eye bead – you’ll be in the minority, that’s why they feature on my Top 5 list of Turkish Souvenirs.