Amuleti e cura magica tra gli Yaghnobi: un viaggio ai confini della medicina tradizionale islamica e iranica

The University of Bologna's “Yaghnob Valley Mission” is an ethno-linguistic research project that was carried out on a mountain community of people speaking an Eastern Iranian dialect (called Yaghnobi) closely related to an ancient Middle Iranian language, the Sogdian. Traditional Yaghnobi medicine is based on the use of plants, amulets and magic therapy. Especially concerning childbirth, several references to the supernatural may be found, where the perception of natural phenomena and the imagination of the community play important roles. An attitude toward the personification of puerperal diseases is evident in the Ol folklore, a demon represented as a tall woman with blondish hair, and in apotropaic traditions.