According to Islamic tradition, Fatima was the daughter — and lone offspring — of the Prophet Mohammed.  She was said to be imbued with healing powers, needing only to rest her hand on the afflicted person to heal him.  The stylistic ‘hand of Fatima’ can be seen all over Morocco, especially where extra protection is warranted, such as a taxi.  (Hand of Fatima decals grace the bumpers of many a Moroccan cab.)  Nowhere is protection more wanted, however, than the home, which is why many doors feature simplistic ‘hands,’ such as this one seen here.  Although some imagination would be required to envision this door hinge as a human hand, it was crafted with exactly five protrusions for a reason: when the visage of an actual hand isn’t feasible, any derivation of the number five will do.

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