{"id":5542,"date":"2026-05-02T07:43:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-02T07:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=5542"},"modified":"2026-05-02T08:11:30","modified_gmt":"2026-05-02T08:11:30","slug":"the-star-of-david-a-symbol-of-identity-from-alchemy-hinduismbuddhism-and-islamic-seal-of-solomon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2026\/05\/02\/the-star-of-david-a-symbol-of-identity-from-alchemy-hinduismbuddhism-and-islamic-seal-of-solomon\/","title":{"rendered":"The Star of David: A Symbol of identity from alchemy, Hinduism,Buddhism and Islamic Seal of Solomon"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Star of David: A Symbol Beyond Borders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Star of David originated long before it was adopted by the Jewish faith and the Zionist movement; it appeared thousands of years ago in the cultures of the East, cultures that use it to this day. In the past, what we know today as the Star of David was a popular symbol in pagan traditions, as well as a decorative device used in first-century churches and even in Muslim culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"562\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-26.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5548\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-26.png 562w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-26-300x288.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 562px) 100vw, 562px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The hexagram in Islam, photo: Vikramjit Singh Rooprai<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Islam, the hexagram is referred to as the \u201cSeal of Solomon,\u201d and it adorns many mosques around the world. Until 1945, the emblem was also found on the Moroccan flag. It was changed to the five-pointed star (pentagram), when the six-pointed star became the emblem of the Zionist movement. The use of this symbol has diminished throughout the Islamic world for the same reason. The hexagram can also be found in medieval and early modern churches\u2014although not as a Christian symbol, but as a decorative motif.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"444\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-29.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5551\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-29.png 444w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-29-300x285.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 444px) 100vw, 444px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Silver&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dirham\">dirham<\/a>&nbsp;coin minted in the name of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Eretna\">Eretna<\/a>&nbsp;in 1351 CE in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Erzincan\">Erzincan<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Turkey\">T\u00fcrkiye<\/a>. It includes an inscription in the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Old_Uyghur_alphabet\">Uyghur script<\/a>&nbsp;that reads S<em>ultan Adil<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By American Numismatics Society &#8211; https:\/\/numismatics.org\/collection\/1927.179.1, CC0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=139865953<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"938\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-30.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5552\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-30.png 960w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-30-300x293.png 300w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-30-768x750.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By Riad Salih &#8211; Own work, CC BY 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=153005739<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"526\" height=\"789\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-32.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-32.png 526w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-32-200x300.png 200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 526px) 100vw, 526px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Minaret of the Great Mosque of Testour, Tunisia, 1631 Wikipedia <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/User:Agnieszkaphoto\">Agnieszka Wolska<\/a>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Own work<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"715\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-21.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-21.png 715w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-21-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 715px) 100vw, 715px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The six\u2011pointed star we know as the <strong>Star of David<\/strong> has traveled far before becoming Judaism\u2019s emblem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Star of David displayed in Prague\u2019s Old New Synagogue, photo:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/User:%C3%98yvind_Holmstad\">\u00d8yvind Holmstad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"757\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-22.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-22.png 757w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-22-300x235.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 757px) 100vw, 757px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Ancient roots<\/strong>: In India, it adorned temples; in Buddhism, it symbolized peace; in Hinduism, fortune; in alchemy, the harmony of elements. Islam called it the <em>Seal of Solomon<\/em>, and medieval churches used it decoratively.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The hexagram has been used in India for thousands of years, and can be found on ancient temples and in daily use; in Buddhism it is used as a meditation aid to achieve a sense of peace and harmony, and in Hinduism it is a symbol of the goddess Lakshmi\u2014the goddess of fortune and material abundance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hexagrams abound in alchemy, the theory and study of materials from which the modern science of chemistry evolved. Magical symbols were commonplace in this ancient theory, and alchemists recruited the six-pointed star to their graphic language of signs and symbols: an upright triangle symbolized water, an inverted triangle symbolized fire, and together they described the harmony between the opposing elements. In alchemical literature, the hexagram also represents the \u201cfour elements\u201d\u2014the theory that all matter in the world is made up of the four elements: air, water, earth and fire\u2014effectively, everything that exists. One could say that the star is the ultimate alchemical symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Alchemy borrowed the idea from the classical Greek tradition that masculinity symbolizes wisdom, while femininity symbolizes nature; man is philosophy and woman is the physical world. The illustration below, which appears in an 18<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;century alchemical text, shows a man holding a lantern as he follows a woman holding a hexagram \u2013 &nbsp;wisdom being the key that reveals the secrets of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe philosopher examining nature\u201d \u2013 an illustration appearing in an alchemical&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nli.org.il\/en\/books\/NNL_ALEPH002922223\/NLI\">text<\/a>&nbsp;from 1749, the Sidney Edelstein Collection at the National Library of Israel<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"577\" height=\"422\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-25.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-25.png 577w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-25-300x219.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 577px) 100vw, 577px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24-1024x310.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5546\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24-1024x310.png 1024w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24-300x91.png 300w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24-768x232.png 768w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24-1536x465.png 1536w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-24.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"435\" height=\"516\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5545\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23.png 435w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-23-253x300.png 253w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 435px) 100vw, 435px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Jewish adoption<\/strong>: Though legends tie it to King David\u2019s shield and Bar\u2011Kochba\u2019s revolt, the star only became a Jewish symbol in 14th\u2011century Prague, when Jews chose it for their flag. From there, it spread across Europe.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Debate continues<\/strong>: Scholar Gershom Scholem argued the star was never inherently Jewish, noting its presence in non\u2011Jewish contexts. Yet its association grew stronger over centuries.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Modern meaning<\/strong>: Today, emblazoned on Israel\u2019s flag, the Star of David is inseparable from Jewish identity. Its power lies not in origin, but in the meaning people give it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>CREDIT: <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/en\/author\/sharonc\/\">Sharon Cohen<\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nli.org.il\/en\/star-of-david\/\">&#8220;The Story of the Star of David&#8221;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[Sources for this article are courtesy of Chaya Meier Herr, director of the Edelstein Collection for the History of Science, and Dr. Zvi Leshem, director of the Gershom Scholem Collection at the National Library of Israel]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Read also: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Moloch\">Moloch<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"firstHeading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Seal_of_Solomon\">Seal of Solomon<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"330\" height=\"886\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-27.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5549\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-27.png 330w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-27-112x300.png 112w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 330px) 100vw, 330px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>By This file was donated to Wikimedia Commons as part of a project by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. See the Image and Data Resources Open Access Policy, CC0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=60899564<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"446\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-31-1024x446.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5553\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-31-1024x446.png 1024w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-31-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-31-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image-31.png 1356w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Star of David at the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Oshki_Monastery\">Oshki Monastery<\/a>, dated CE 973. The monastery is located in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Tao_(historical_region)\">Tao<\/a>, modern-day Turkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By This photo was taken by George Mel.Please credit this with&nbsp;: Photo&nbsp;: George Mel in the immediate vicinity of the image.Oshki (Georgian: \u10dd\u10e8\u10d9\u10d8) is a Georgian monastery from the second half of the tenth century located in the historic province of Tao, now in North-eastern Turkey. The main church, dedicated to St John the Baptist, was built between 963 and 973.Bas-reliefs, placed high above the central arch, are given the place of honour on the southern facade, which is the main facade of the church. They stand out from the flat surface. The eagle with an animal in his talons probably symbolises victory, and the whole sculptural composition the triumph of the heavenly forces represented by the archangels Michael and Gabriel. &#8211; This work is created by George Mel during expedition to Tao-Klarjeti. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Star of David: A Symbol Beyond Borders The Star of David originated long before it was adopted by the Jewish faith and the Zionist movement; it appeared thousands of years ago in the cultures of the East, cultures that use it to this day. In the past, what we know today as the Star [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5548,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,7,6,133,16,123,15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-racism","category-articles","category-history","category-human-rights-constitution-federal-democracy-social-nets-minority-rights","category-opinion","category-story","category-world-muslims"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5542"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5542\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5560,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5542\/revisions\/5560"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5548"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}