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Antique Persian Kashkul with carved inscription and designs
19th Century
Kashkuls carried the donations on which dervishes relied for sustenance and also functioned as drinking vessels or food containers for wandering ascetics. They simultaneously symbolized the emptying of the Sufi’s soul or ego through the renunciation of worldly goods and aspirations, and the nourishment of that soul with divine knowledge. Many the coco-de-mr palm native to Seychelles Island of the Indian Ocean. The shells’ lengthy sea voyage to the shores of Iran carries special significance as a metaphor for the Sufi’s mystical journey. The top of this example shows a paradisiacal scene of birds in flowering, fruit laden trees.


Antique Persian Kashkul