Found on clothing items, fabrics and various objects, historically “Cintemani” has been used by the Chinese, Uyghurs, Seljuks and the Ottomans. It literally means “Chinese point”.
Originally consisting of three simple points, it had its roots in Buddism, symbolising the three jewels of Buddha (Buddha, Dharma, Shangha). In the course of time, it was developed into three sets of nested circles, using figures inspired from Dragons.
Through intercultural exchanges, the Uyghurs adopted it as a symbol of sovereignty (before Islam), while for the Seljuks and the Ottomans it was used as the symbol of power as it resembled a panther’s skin. On the kaftans and other clothing items of the Ottoman Sultans, the cintemani represents the dynasty and wealth, abundance, not forgetting protection against the evil eye and malicious elements. The Cintemani also became a traditional design for Iznik Tiles during Ottoman times.
One of our “Embroidered Wellbeing Gift Sets” carries the cintemani pattern on the towels and the lavender sachet.