ABSTRACT
Zar (also called Dastur or Rih Ahmar) is a phenomenon associated mostly with women. It is a type of spirit possession that occurs primarily in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Somalia, and as far west as Nigeria. Among scholars, the definition of Zar is agreed to be spirit possession by jin (spirits). In the Sudan, the Zar spirits are referred to by the name Al-Rih Al-Ahmar, which used to be considered a separate category of jin.
