Nazar eye Low-poly 3D model

A nazar is an eye-shaped amulet believed to protect against the evil eye. Albanian, Urdu, Pashtun, Bengali, Kurdish, Persian, and other languages have borrowed the term as well. In Turkey, it is known by the name nazar boncuğu (the latter word being a derivative of boncuk, bead, and the former borrowed from Arabic) and historically as mâvi boncuk or Old Turkic: gökçe munçuk‎, both meaning blue bead. In Persian and Afghan folklore, it is called a cheshm nazar or nazar qurbāni. In Pakistan, the slogan Chashm-e-Baddoor is used to ward off the evil eye.

In such cultures, it is believed that if a person is complimented a lot, the evil eye will cause them to be sick the next day unless a phrase such as With the will of God (MashAllah in Arabic) is said. In South Asia, when a mother observes that her child is being excessively complimented, it is common for them to attempt to neutralize the effects of the evil eye (nazar utarna) by holding red chillies in one hand and circling the child's head a few times, then burning the chillies.

A typical nazar is made of handmade glass featuring concentric circles or teardrop shapes in dark blue, white, light blue and black, occasionally with a yellow/gold edge.

As a legacy of the Turkish Ottoman Empire, it is a common sight in Turkey, Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Armenia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Algeria, and Azerbaijan, where the nazar is often hung in homes, offices, cars, children's clothing, or incorporated in jewellery and ornaments. They are a popular choice of souvenir with tourists.