Ottoman splendour
Perfume jewels: the meskia pendant
Updated Feb 19, 2024
In the Maghreb, notably in Algeria and Tunisia, spectacular containers called meskia are worn. What are these, what is their history and why are they important? In this post, I’m exploring these delicate and sumptuous jewels.
What is a meskia?
A meskia is a small, delicate pendant with an open worked lid, which contained fragrances. It is usually made of precious materials, such as gold, and decorated with gemstones and pearls. Its name, meskia, is derived from its content: it would hold musk, but was also used for other scented substances. [1]
These containers are relatively small and very opulent in their decoration. That tells us more about the importance attached to these jewels. So, what is that importance?
Meskia: fragrance and faith
Like its name suggests, the contents of boxes like these would have been musk. Musk is an important and popular scent, as it was said to be the favourite fragrance of the Prophet. In that respect, it carries a religious association.
Musk was a scent that was imported into the Mediterranean in Late Antiquity: the Persians had access to the trade with Central Asia. [2] This is where the musk deer lived, from whose glands the scent was first extracted.
Through the association with the Prophet, musk became extremely popular and was imported on a massive scale. That popularity continues until today. Musk is now largely synthetically produced, and you will find it in many shapes and forms throughout the Islamic world.
Style and execution: Ottoman luxury
The opulence of the meskia reflects its origin in the Ottoman period. The Ottoman Empire stretched across the Mediterranean, and included large parts of what is now Algeria and Tunisia. The splendour of the Ottoman court in current-day Istanbul traveled with Ottoman dignitaries, merchants and craftspeople to all corners of the empire. Here, it continued to inspire both the local elite and craftsmen who catered to a wealthy clientele.
" The meskia is a sign of status: both the container and its contents are precious and expensive"
Differences in meskia styles
Not all meskia-pendants are the same: their shape is similar, but there are differences in their execution that are particular to the regions where they have been made and worn. [3]
The Algerian meskia shown above (click to enlarge it) is made of ajour-cut sheet gold. The box itself is decorated with a rim of pearls. Its lid has been set with a border of rubies around a large central emerald. The floral design of the lid shows accents of small rubies and emeralds, and a few diamonds set in the silver leaves.
The Tunisian meskia (click to enlarge it) is made in a different technique: its lid is executed in fine filigree. The dangles of pearls and irregularly shaped precious stones serve to convey that same luxurious status.
Meskia: an urban jewel
Wearing a meskia has long been an urban tradition. [4] This is where the wealthier people lived: rich merchants, affluent families and of course the administrative and military Ottoman elite. They had access to the best craftsmen, as well as to precious stones used to decorated these perfume containers. The content of these containers was expensive as well. Wearing a meskia was a sign of wealth: not only because of the container, but because of the expensive perfume in it, too.
Outside of the main urban centres, fragrance was worn as well, but it took other forms such as the scented paste beads and silver perfume containers.
See more about those scented paste beads from North Africa in this article!
The meskia today: an important wedding jewel
The meskia is still part and parcel of wedding attire. Algerian and Tunisian brides wear elaborate necklaces made of scented paste beads, rows of pearls and a meskia container. As these jewels are quite costly, they can be rented for the day from the wedding planner. Through their combination of heritage, identity and faith, they add an important level of festivity to the wedding. It’s a small, but highly significant piece of jewellery!
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Explore the world of fragrance in the course Scents of the Middle East!
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References
[1] Eudel, Dictionnaire des Bijoux de l‘Afrique du Nord, under ‘meskia’, notes that ‘mesk’ is also a word used to indicate a leather pouch in which jewellery was stored. This shares the significance of a container designed to hold precious content.
[2] King, A.H. 2007. The musk trade and the Near East in the Early Medieval Period. PhD-thesis Indiana University, p. 239.
[3] As already noted by Eudel in his Dictionnaire des Bijoux de l‘Afrique du Nord, under ‘meskia’.
[4] Akam, F & A. Hanafi, 2003. La mode Ottomane dans les bijoux citadins, in: Bijoux & parures de’Algèrie, Somogy Editions d’Art, p. 37-41.
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Sigrid van Roode
Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.