Hanukkah lamp consisting of nine small bowls. Mashhad, Iran, [early 20th century].
Sheet aluminum, cut, repoussé, pinched.
Hanukkah lamp consisting of a set of nine small metal bowls with pinched, pointed spouts for wicks. The bowls are flat-bottomed and round, gently widening from base to rim. At the time of the lighting, the bowls are arranged in a row. One is arbitrarily chosen to serve as the servant light, and on each successive night, an additional bowl is kindled. At the end of the Hanukkah holiday, the bowls are stacked, and thus compacted for storage.
Only a handful of Hanukkah lamps of this type are known. They were once customary among Jews in Afghanistan, Iran, Bukhara (Uzbekistan), and the surrounding regions. The present lamp was purchased from a Jewish family originating from Mashhad, Iran, and in this specific case, its form would have aided its owners in keeping it hidden; the Jews of Mashhad were forcibly converted to Islam, persisting in their practice of Judaism clandestinely as crypto-Jews.
Mordechai Narkiss points out that this type of Hanukkah lamp recalls and preserves very early forms that hearken back to the Talmudic "Shraga DiHanukkata" type, adopted by Jews in Iran thanks to the cultural impact of the highly influential neighboring Babylonian Jewish community.
Height: 1.5 cm. Diameter: 6.5 cm. Good condition. Minor corrosion and warping.
References: The Hanukkah Lamp, p. 3, item no. 9; Afghanistan: The Synagogue and the Jewish Home, item no. 54; The Jews of Persia-Iran, Bukhara, and Afghanistan, p. 59.