Mardin’de Albastidan Korunma Biçimleri
Types of Albastidian Protection in Mardin

Summary/Abstract: In Mardin it is believed that the confined period (when the woman is in childbed) is an important and a dangerous period for the mother and her baby. The bad spirit which is called ‘Albastı’ or ‘Alkarısı’ is thought to imperil the mother’s and the baby’s life. Therefore there are protective measures and bans for the mother and her baby. The confined women the men the people who came from a house where there was a funeral or lament can’t visit the women who gave birth to a child the first 40 days after birth. Kurdish and Arabic Muslims put the Koran, an amulet, a pair of scissors, a pin, a sickle or a knife under the pillow of the mother and the baby. The Syriac people, meanwhile, put the Bible, a cross, a pin or a pair of scissors. It’s believed that metals like a pair of scissors or pins protect the women and their babies. Like in some Kurdish villages, the Yezidi women also drink the water in which they put a packing needle, for 40 days. The measures against ‘Alkarısı’ change considering the religious aspect but they don’t change among the cultures.

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