Open-hand motifs, sometimes interpreted as apotropaic, are widely attested in the ancient Near East. Vervenne notes that the hand symbol is very common in the Near East and may, in some interpretations, be regarded as an antecedent of the protective khamsa.[16] Von Kemnitz also notes that amulets representing the hand of Ishtar were used in Mesopotamia and Babylon to prevent evil or disease from entering a building.[17] Another early piece of evidence often associated with this symbolic history is that of Khirbet el-Qom, in Judah, where an Iron Age tomb bears an engraved hand associated with an inscription. The exact meaning of this motif remains debated, but it is generally interpreted as a protective sign in a funerary context.[18][19]

Another theory postulates a connection between the khamsa and the Mano Pantea (or Hand-of-the-All-Goddess), an amulet known to ancient Egyptians as the Two Fingers. In this amulet, the Two Fingers represent Isis and Osiris and the thumb represents their child Horus. It was used to invoke the protective spirits of parents over their child.[6] The Hand-of-Venus (or Aphrodite) and the Hand-of-Mary, were other names for hand amulets used to protect women from the evil eye and/or boost fertility and lactation, promote healthy pregnancies and strengthen the weak.[6]

Old Hamsa amuletHamsa amuletThe symbol of a facing hand found on Nabataean coin types has been associated with the hamsa.[20]

Medieval Iberia and the MaghrebAccording to von Kemnitz, the Berbers brought the khamsa to al-Andalūs. Later, the expelled Muslim and Jewish population took it back to North Africa, introducing different motifs and techniques.[21]

Within the Islamic world, historical use of the amulet is concentrated in the western Muslim world (Maghreb; historically al-Andalus), while attestations in the eastern Muslim world (Mashriq) are sparse; where a hand appears in eastern contexts it is often part of distinct Shi'i ritual iconography rather than the Maghrebi amulet tradition.[22][23][24] In al-Andalūs, the use of the hamsa as amulet is well-documented from the thirteenth century onwards. This chronology would relate the use of this amulet to an increased Berber presence and their cultural influence.[25]

Among the Morisco population of Granada and nearby regions, khamsa pendants were particularly popular and were described as large engraved medals ... with a hand inscribed with letters, likely containing Qurʾanic verses or expressions derived from the holy text that reinforced their apotropaic function.[26] Ecclesiastical authorities sought to suppress their use: a reform council in 1526 banned khamsas as Islamic symbols and ordered their replacement by Christian crosses, while the Synod of Guadix renewed the prohibition in 1554.[26] Despite this, khamsas were also worn by Christians, such as a Nasrid-period gold pendant inscribed Ave Maria gratia plena, illustrating their cross-confessional appea