Himiana

Himiana
	A Mandaean priestly initiate wearing the himiana (bottom)
Type	girdle or belt
Material	wool
Place of origin	southern Iraq and southwestern Iran

The himiana (Classical Mandaic: ࡄࡉࡌࡉࡀࡍࡀ) or hemyanā is a sacred ritual girdle or belt used by the Mandaeans.^[1] Traditionally, it is white, tubular, and made of wool.^[2]

Etymology

Himiana is a Persian loanword, like burzinqa (turban) and margna (staff).^[3]

Description

Unlike the Zoroastrian kushti, which is made of 72 threads, the Mandaean himiana is made of 60 woolen threads.^[2]^[3]

References

^ Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002). The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-515385-5. OCLC 65198443.
^ ^a ^b Drower, Ethel Stefana (1937). The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran. Oxford At The Clarendon Press.
^ ^a ^b Gelbert, Carlos (2023). The Key to All the Mysteries of Ginza Rba. Sydney: Living Water Books. pp. 577–584. ISBN 9780648795414.