Our journey into silver making in Oman begins with Zanzibar, a former Omani territory.

Mr. Al Saeed, the curator of the Princess Salme Museum, Zanzibar, shared, “Oman played a role in the Silk Route and served as a bridge between the Arabian Peninsula and Eastern Africa connecting through Zanzibar. Omani traders didn’t just come here to trade, but many settled here. Zanzibar was a hub of commerce with merchants, Muslims, missionaries, explorers, artists, and poets.”

MTT, a silver coin currency, was minted in honor of Empress Maria Theresa (Austria and Hungry), a central figure in the power politics of 18th-century Europe. Maria Theresa was considered one of the most capable rulers of the Habsburg monarchy. Her 16 children included Marie-Antoinette and Leopold II. MTTs continued to be minted long after Theresa’s death in 1780 and are one of the few international currencies depicting a woman.

MTTs journeyed to Zanzibar through trade routes from Arabia and India. They played a unique role as a trade currency in the 20th century in the Horn of Africa, Eastern Africa, India, and much of the Arabian Peninsula, Oman, and the Gulf State regions.

Zanzibar has a tradition of silver making, produced by Indians, Arabs, and Zanzibaris. The MTT played a significant role in silversmithing, non-commercial functions, and spiritual healing throughout Zanzibar, Tanzania, and East Africa. MTTs adorned headdresses and necklaces and were smelted for filigree on Omani khanjars or transformed into silver jewelry.

Clara Semple (2007) writes: “The MTT was not just an essential jewelry component; it was an ingredient.”

Emily Ruete, born in Zanzibar as Sayyida Salama bint Said, also called Salme, was a Princess of Zanzibar and Oman. She was the youngest of the 36 children of Said bin Sultan, Sultan of the Omani Empire.

Princess Salme was the only Zanzibari princess that could read and write.

One of the best examples of how MTTs were adapted into jewelry is illustrated by Princess Salme, who fell in love with her German neighbor. When she fled Zanzibar to be with her future husband, she carried her silver coins on her body as jewelry providing a source of both adornment and currency.

Burton, Speke, and Livingston landed in Zanzibar, launching their expeditions into the Central Lakes of Africa; they paid their porters in silver thalers and carried them on the excursion into what was Tanganyika. The audacious Dutch heiress Alexine Tinne, Burton, who explored the deserts of North Africa in the 19th century, was murdered in a Tuareg raid, supposedly because of her conspicuous quantities of MTTs. Until 1962, the MTT was legal tender in North Yemen and Kuwait, with Muscat and Oman using the MTT trading on its bullion content until they introduced a national currency.

MTTs remained popular until the German East African Company prohibited the importation of the silver coin into Tanganyika (Tanzania).

Silver is revered as the metal of emotions, providing astrological, spiritual, and healing benefits. MTT coins are used during Panzaka spirit possession rituals in Zanzibar.

Fatma Abdulrahman Mohamed confronts the Panzaka spirit possession using MTTs, as part of Kibuki medicine.  Spiritual possession rituals mostly happen among women when the Panzaka affects their well-being.

Silver coins dipped into a white paste called Tanimilandi are used in the healing rituals to appease the Panzakas.

The Maria Theresa Thaler (MTT) are used in the spirit possession ritual due to their pure silver content and availability in Zanzibar. 

Numerous other medicines are utilized during healing rituals, including alcohol and perfumes. When the treatments are finished, the affected become healed and take on a new identity indicated by changing their clothing.

The spirit possession ritual takes place over days. The healing practice is not an exorcism because the Panzaka remains in the person. Wearing a silver coin on a chain helps to keep the Panzaka appeased.

Like in Zanzibar, silver coins, such as the MTT found in Oman, are often used for healing.

Oman is known as the land of frankincense. Abundant in the Dhofar regions (Southern Oman), frankincense is an integral part of its culture and history. The aromatic resin is used in incense, perfume, oils, and soaps. Frankincense is also known for its healing properties. When applied to porous stones, the aromatherapy effects are enhanced. 

When fragrant oils are applied to porous stones, the aromatherapy effects are enhanced.

Bahla Fort is a historic fort at the foot of the Jebel Akhdar highlands in Oman and is the country’s only UNESCO-listed fort.  The fortress was built between the 12th and 17th centuries by the Banu Nebhan tribe. Folklores about a Jinn, a spirit that frequents the complex and nearby oasis, are shared throughout the region. We asked Mr. Hamad Al Rebani, Bahla Fort Tour Guide, to shed some light on how silver jewelry protects against the jinn.

Mr. Al Qasabi shares rings and agates depicting the ongoing silver craftmanship in Oman.

Precious Metals and Gemstones expert Muna Al Bulushi introduces us to some of the basics of identifying gemstones.

Gemstone inclusions are materials trapped inside a gem as they form. Some inclusions help to identify gemstones. Some gemstones have false inclusions indicating a fabricated stone. 

When light hits the surface of a transparent gemstone, it either gets reflected or partially refracted (bent and sent in another direction) inside the gem.

Every gemstone has a unique refractive index. The refractive index is a fundamental identifying property of a gemstone.

Some gemstones can be identified by color.  

Gemstone mythology colors our perceptions of many gemstones. Birthstone folklore dates back to the Greeks, Egyptians, Romans, Persians, and Indians, who assigned monthly gemstones, believing that wearing a gemstone during your birth month would boost its therapeutic properties. All cultures apply magical and spiritual significance to gemstones, from Lapis promising protection in the afterlife (Egyptian) to black stones warding of Jinns in Oman.