Number Symbolism Among Ancient Turkish Tribes and its Reflections to Turkmen Jewellery

Whichever system that they may belong to, the numbers while representing life on one side, on the other hand, through mystical powers attributed to them, they play a key role in relation to mystic and metaphysical aspects of life. The numbers which are codes of the nature and life are not coincidental or random but results of observations and experiences of mankind throughout the history. In this sense, many figures are attributed with common or similar meanings regardless of the geographic, cultural or ethnic boundaries that allows us to observe a common number symbolism. Although, in some cases, specific characteristics of a particular society is attributed to numbers and thereby some specific meanings attached to them, among the societies of the world certain numbers have been observed to intersect. Frequently intersecting of these are 3,4,5,7,8,9,12,14,28,30,40. Among these, especially in Turkmen culture attributed with mystical powers that are in parallel with our subject are 3,4,5,7,8,9 and 40.[2] As almost among every other society, Turkmens too have developed their own number symbolism and mysticism related to this and even at present day this subject still receives intense interest among Turkish and Islamic societies.

Keywords

Number symbolism, ancient numbers, Turkmen number symbolism, Mystic numbers, Lucky numbers