Mavi Boncuk |
1. nar: from Persian nār/anār نار/أنار pomegranete fruit and tree EN; nar ağacı ve meyvası TR old Persian anār.
2. nar: from Arabic nār نار fire EN; ateş TR
The name pomegranate comes from Medieval Latin."Pomegranate" is derived from Latin pomum ("apple") and granatus ("seeded"). This has influenced the common name for pomegranate in many languages (e.g., German Granatapfel , seeded apple). The pomegranate plant is evergreen throughout the year, enabling thus the human mind to attribute to it the immortality of the soul. In time, the many seeds in a single fruit have come to stand for prosperity.
" It has been named in many ancient texts from the Book of Exodus in the Torah[1], the Quran, the Homeric Hymns, and Mesopotamian records, to name a few. The pomegranate originally came from Persia, or modern day Iran, and the western Himalayas. It has been cultivated for millennia in places such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, and the Mediterranean region. It migrated as far east as China and Southeast Asia and was found along the Silk Road as a symbol of abundance and posterity. It is also grown extensively in Korea, Japan, and Latin America, having been introduced there by settlers or traders.
Archaeologists have found carbonized pomegranate exocarps in places such as Jericho from the Early Bronze Age (3000 BC), Cyprus, from the Late Bronze Age, and in Egyptian tombs, including King Tut's. Pomegranates were highly valued in Ancient Egypt, and were part of the supply of fruits required in a pharaoh's residence (1600 BC). It was revered enough to have been painted on walls and tombs to symbolize life after death. The pomegranate had many uses, including the fruit as food, the juice as a tonic to kill parasites, the blossom was crushed to make a red dye, and the peel was used to dye leather.
Other ancient sightings of the pomegranate include on the pillars of the Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, on the robes of Jewish priests, and in mosaics from ancient Rome (including Pompeii) where it was called the "Phoenician apple." Its twigs were worn on Roman women's headdresses to signify marital status. In Zoroastrian temples, pomegranates were used to symbolize eternal life and were associated with fertility. A symbol of strength in ancient Persia, the army of Xerxes carried spears with pomegranates on the tip (instead of spikes) when they invaded Greece in 480 BC. Pomegranates were also depicted on the walls of the royal palace and fortress Alhambra of the Islamic Nasrid Dynasty by the Moors in Spain. They even renamed one of their cities after the fruit. It also has a place of significance in Armenian culture.
Islamic thought placed pomegranate trees in the gardens of Eden and muslims believe that it is a holy tree because of it. For Muslims, the pomegranate is also a symbol of beauty, it is said to give beauty to those who eat it. Prophet Mohammed has advised pregnant women to eat pomegranates if they wanted beautiful children.
Along with olive, dates and fig trees, the pomegranate tree is one of the four holy trees for Islam.
Newly weds in Anatolia and the Middle East are still served pomegranates to bless them with a lot of offspring. In modern turkey today, many families throw a pomegranate on the floor and “crack” it on the New Year’s Eve to have a plentiful new year.
[1] God gave orders to Moses to put embroidered pomegranates of blue, purple and scarlet with golden bells between, at the bottom of the high priest's blue robe or ephod (Ex. 28:33, 34). Aaron was to wear the robe when he ministered to the Lord in the Holy of Holies so he would not die. The jewish mysticism called Kabbala reveres the pomegranate in many of its rituals; their followers “burst” a pomegranate at home and in work places on religious days to call for fertility and lucrative businesses.