Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Zebibahs


The zebibah, Arabic for raisin, is a dark circle of callused skin, or in some cases a protruding bump, between the hairline and the eyebrows. It emerges on the spot where worshipers press their foreheads into the ground during their daily prayers.

“In Egypt, it’s the way we pray; we probably hit our heads harder than most in order to get one,” said Ahmed Fathallah, 19, as he played dominoes one evening in a Cairo coffee shop.
-From a NY Times Article

The only thing creepier than zebibahs are the texts to which these people are banging their heads on the ground about.