Qajar amuletic scroll to protect pregnancies

[Amulet scroll]. Lithographed apotropaic scroll with illustrations.

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A rare Qajar amuletic scroll explicitly directed against Umm al-Sibyan, also known as Umm al-Duwais, the demonic force associated in Islamic popular belief with dangers to pregnancy, childbirth, and young children. The present example is distinguished by the striking figural panel of Sulayman (King Solomon) subduing Umm al-Sibyan, giving visual form to the prophet-king’s authority over harmful spirits.

The text combines Arabic invocations with Persian operative passages in a programme specifically intended to shield pregnant women and unborn children from miscarriage, affliction, and other dangers attributed to the demon. It unites sacred language, practical instruction, and images in a single object conceived for apotropaic use rather than passive display. The scroll further invokes the seal and authority of Sulayman as sovereign over jinn, devils, ghouls, and other malignant beings, mobilizing Solomonic and Qur'anic power against a wide spectrum of invisible threats. This explicit appeal to prophetic dominion gives the piece an especially forceful talismanic character.

Scrolls of this kind belong to a popular talismanic tradition in 19th century Iran, where inexpensive lithographic printing allowed protective texts and images to circulate beyond elite manuscript culture. The present piece preserves that conjunction of piety, magic, and everyday need in a particularly vivid and socially grounded form.