Jewellery from the Orient: Treasures from the Dr. Bir Collection

Jewellerysetsoffbeautyandrevealswealth.Moreover,jewelleryhadamagicalfunctionintraditionalsocietiesbecauseitattractedblessingsandwardedoffevil.Womenweregivenmostoftheirjewellerywhentheymarried.Theyworeituntiltheirchildrenhadgrownup.Thenitwaskeptuntiltheirdaughtershadneedofitsmagicalproperties.SoOrientalvernacularjewellerywashandeddownfromgenerationtogeneration.Ifapiecewastooworn,itwasmelteddownandthesilverusedtorecreateapieceofthesametype.Thusthememoriesofmillenniawerepreservedinjewelleryofthiskind.Itcametoabreakinthemid-20thcentury.InmanypartsoftheNearEast,thetraditionalsilverjewellerybegantobereplacedbygoldjewellerythatwasoftenindustriallymanufactured.Theupshotwasthatmuchofwhatmakesthiscollectionsounusualhasbeenirredeemablylostinthecountrieswherethejewellerywasoncemade.ItistotheeverlastingcreditofDr.Birasacollectorthatthesepieceshavesurvived,albeitfarfromthelandswheretheyweremade,toattesttotheinfinitevarietyandbeautyofOrientalcraftsmanship.Inthisbook,readersfollowthejewelleryonanimaginaryjourney:fromTurkeyand'orientalEurope'acrosstheMediterraneantonorth-westernAfricaandtheSaharatoEthiopia.FromtherethejourneycontinuesthroughYemenviaIndiaandontoThailandandtheRoofoftheWorld.DowntheIndusValleytoAfghanistan.BackagainthroughthemountainsandacrossCentralAsiaontheSilkRoadtotheWest.FromTurkmenistantotheCaspianSeaandfromtheretotheCaucasus.ThrougheasternTurkey,SyriaandPalestinebacktotheMediterranean.BorninFreiburgi.Breisgauin1929,thecollectorAmitBirwasthesonofaTurkishphysicianandanativeofFreiburg.HegrewupinIzmir.AfterstudyingmedicineinIstanbul,hetrainedasaspecialistinBerlinandworkedinWolfsburgfrom1958.Hispassionforcollectingbeganin1960onatripthroughnorth-eastAfrica.OnehundredandeightymoretripsthroughouttheNearEastwouldfollow.