Turquoise is one of the few stones that have given their name to a colour. Its opaque blue, sometimes tending towards green, recalls a clear sky or the water of a mountain lake. It is a non-transparent stone, soft to the touch, that has been loved by civilisations very far from one another: the Egyptians, the Persians, the peoples of Central Asia and those of the Americas. In each of these cultures it took on its own meanings, but with a common thread: the link with the sky, protection and life.
The name
The word "turquoise" derives from the French pierre turquoise, that is, "Turkish stone". Not because the stone came from Turkey, but because it reached Europe through the markets of the Ottoman Empire, starting from Persia and Central Asia. The name thus tells of a trade route rather than a place of origin.
Egypt: Hathor, lady of turquoise
The Egyptians mined turquoise in the Sinai peninsula, particularly in the area of Serabit el-Khadim and at Wadi Maghara. At Serabit el-Khadim stood a temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor, whom the Egyptians worshipped with the epithet "Lady of Turquoise". Mining expeditions left inscriptions and offerings to the goddess, asking for the success of their work.
The Egyptian term for turquoise, mefkat, was also linked to joy. Hathor was the goddess of music, dance, love and joy: it is not surprising that the brightly coloured stone was placed under her protection. Turquoise appears in many Egyptian jewels, often beside lapis lazuli and carnelian, forming a triad of colours: the blue of the night sky, the green-blue of life, the red of blood and of the sun.
Persia: the stone of victory
For centuries the most famous turquoise mines were in the region of Nishapur, in north-eastern Iran. Persian turquoise, of an intense and even blue, was considered the finest in the world. The Persian name, firuzeh, is often linked to the idea of victory and triumph.
In Persian Islamic art the turquoise colour became the protagonist of the glazed tiles covering domes and minarets. The great mosques of Isfahan, Samarkand and Herat shine with this blue, which under the sun seems to merge with the sky. It is an example of how a stone can become an entire architectural language: the colour of the vault of heaven carried onto the vault of the sacred building.
The Americas: xiuhuitl, the precious stone of fire
In the Americas turquoise was mined above all in what is now the south-western United States and northern Mexico, from where it reached Mesoamerica through exchange. The Aztecs called it xiuhuitl and considered it among the most precious materials, reserved for gods and rulers.
The same root appears in the name of Xiuhtecuhtli, the "Turquoise Lord", god of fire and time, and in the fire serpent Xiuhcoatl. For the Aztecs, turquoise united the colour of the daytime sky with fire and the year. Their craftsmen created extraordinary mosaics of turquoise tesserae on masks, shields and ritual objects; some of these are kept today in European museums, such as the British Museum.
Among many Native peoples of the Southwest, such as the Navajo and the Pueblo, turquoise has kept an important role in ceremonial life and in jewellery-making to this day, and is linked to the sky, water and harmony with the world. These traditions are living and belong to the communities that keep them: they should be known with respect, without appropriating them.
A symbol that crosses peoples
| Culture | Name | Main associations |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt | mefkat | Hathor, joy, life |
| Persia | firuzeh | victory, sky, sacred architecture |
| Aztecs | xiuhuitl | fire, time, divine royalty |
| Native Southwest | various names | sky, water, harmony |
The rider's stone
In Persia and Central Asia turquoise was also used to adorn horses' bridles and saddles. It was believed to protect the rider from falls. This association with travel and with the horse also passed into Europe and the Turkic lands, where turquoise was often considered a travelling stone. Symbolically, it is the stone that accompanies those who set out: a fragment of clear sky carried along on the journey.
A stone that changes
Turquoise is a porous and delicate stone that can change hue over time, becoming greener. In popular tradition this change was sometimes interpreted as a sign, as if the stone recorded the state of its wearer. It is an idea not to be taken literally, but it expresses well the perception of turquoise as a living stone, in relationship with whoever wears it.
In short
- The name "turquoise" points to the Ottoman trade route, not to the stone's origin.
- In Egypt it was linked to Hathor, "Lady of Turquoise", worshipped at the Sinai mines.
- In Persia, with the Nishapur mines, it became a symbol of victory and the colour of sacred domes.
- For the Aztecs xiuhuitl united sky, fire and time, and was used in famous ritual mosaics.
