Zar Spirit Possession

Zar is a spirit possession belief and healing practice documented across parts of northeastern Africa and the Middle East, including Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Somalia, and the southern Arabian Peninsula, centered on the belief that certain persistent psychological or physical afflictions are caused by possession by a zar spirit, a being distinct from the jinn of orthodox Islamic belief, who must be acknowledged, placated, and negotiated with rather than simply exorcised. Treatment is typically organized around a zar ceremony, often led by a female ritual specialist called a sheikha in parts of the region, involving music, rhythmic drumming, and dance intended to induce trance so the possessing spirit can manifest and communicate its demands, after which the afflicted person, called the zar's horse or bride, generally continues a long-term relationship with the spirit through periodic ceremonies rather than achieving a permanent cure. Zar practice, historically and today practiced disproportionately by women in many of the societies where it occurs, has been extensively studied by anthropologists including I. M. Lewis as a case central to the analysis of possession cults as a means through which socially marginalized individuals can gain a legitimate voice, material support, and communal attention within otherwise restrictive social structures.