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Mar 19, 2024
Komboloi Museum & Workshop (Worry bead museum)
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Komboloi Museum & Workshop (Worry bead museum)

komboloi-logo-pngIn April 1998, the first Komboloi Museum (Worry bead) – and the only one in the world - was founded in Nafplio by Aris Evangelinos and Rallou Gromitsari. Their personal collection is consisted of thousands of kombolois and praying objects from all over the world - from Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics and Greeks – as also from countries where the Greek nation prospered. Thus, they have acquired a unique collection part of which is exhibited in the Museum – approximately 1000 kombolois and praying objects. The exhibited kombolois and praying objects date approximately from 1550 to 1950 and they are made of various materials, such as genuine amber, amber-mastic, amber-faturan, black and red coral, ivory, bone, horn, wood, seeds, flowers, and so on...

On the ground floor operates the workshop and the Museum shop, where the visitor can find on sale a large variety of old – antique kombolois, of kombolois made of Amber from Baltic Sea and other natural materials, copies of the ones exhibited in the Museum, charms, amulets and handmade jewels.
The purpose and mission of the Komboloi Museum is to pre-serve the traditional Greek komboloi and make it better known.
The Museum itself operates under the supervision of the Greek Ministry of Culture.


Company information

KOMBOLOI MUSEUM
Gromitsari Rallou – Evangelinou Eleni
25, Staikopoulou St.
21100 Nafplion, Greece
Phone: +30 2752021618
www.komboloi.gr
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Opening hours:
April – October: (Mon – Sun) 09:30 – 20:00
November – March: (Mon – Sun) 09:30 – 18:00
Ticket price: 2,00 € per person (No charge for students, educators and children under 18 yo)


English

Komboloi Museum
In April 1998, the first Komboloi (Worry-bead) Museum - and the only one in the world – was founded in Nafplio by Aris Evangelinos and Rallou Gromitsari, who have been collecting and studying the komboloi since 1958.
Mr. Evangelinos' grandfather lived in Alexandria of Egypt, from whom they took their first lessons and learned the 'secrets' of the komboloi.
They have begun their great journey along the 'komboloi routes' since 1963 - a journey which is still going on... They collect knowledge along with rare old strings of beads (kombolois and prayer beads) from all over the world- from Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics and Greeks - from the countries where the Greek nation prospered (Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt etc.). Thus, they have acquired a unique collection part of which it is exhibited in the Museum. The exhibited kombolois and prayer beads date from approximately 1550 to 1950, and they are made of pure amber, mastic-amber, faturan-amber, black (yusuri) and red coral, ivory, bone, horn, ebony, and so on.
This unique collection is placed in four different small halls following a historic route: In Hall A Hindu and Buddhist prayer beads - "Malas," and Muslim praying objects – "Tespihs" or "Tesbihs", in Hall B Catholic and Monastery prayer beads – "Rosaries", and in Halls C and D Greek Kombolois. The Museum has hosted more than 150,000 visitors since its opening.

Many Greek newspapers such as NEA, ELEFTHEROTIPIA, VEMA, and KATHIMERINI, and magazines such as STATUS, EPSILON, GREEK PANORAMA, and EV, have shown great interest with extended articles. Furthermore, foreign newspapers such as NEW YORK NATIONAL HERALD, and magazines such as THE NEW YORK TIME MAGAZINE and THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, were greatly interested too. The same interest was shown by Greek Radio and TV stations such as NET, ANTENNA, SKAI, and ET3, and by foreign ones such as THE BBC and the LONELY PLANET.

The Komboloi Museum is accommodated in a privately-owned two-storey building in the old city of Nafplion, at 25, Staikopoulou str. The exhibition halls (Museum) are situated on the upper floor.
The Museum Workshop is on the ground floor. Its purpose is to conserve the old kombolois and to produce exact replicas of the ones exhibited in the Museum, using hand-made beads manufactured in workshops in the Middle East. The conservation of old kombolois, which are heirloom, is free of charge. All the kombolois produced in the Museum Workshop can be found in the Museum Shop, which is also situated on the ground floor.
The purpose and mission of the Komboloi Museum is to pre-serve the traditional Greek komboloi and make it better known.
The Museum itself operates under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.

The Workshop
The workshop is situated on the ground floor of the building. This is the place where the guests and visitors can watch the fabrication of kombolois, begleris, key chains, charms, and prayer beads. Moreover, in the workshop the old pieces are conserved and exact replicas of the ones exhibited in the Museum are manufactured with hand-made beads of pure amber, mastic-amber, faturan, bone, shell, coral, horn, wood, seed, crystal, artificial resin, etc. All the products that are manufactured in our workshop are on sale in our Museum shop.

The Shop
On the ground floor also operates the Museum shop, where the visitor can find on sale a large variety of old – antique kombolois, of kombolois made of Amber from Baltic Sea and other natural materials, copies of the ones exhibited in the Museum, charms, amulets and handmade jewels.

Publications
The Komboloi Museum publishes the book "The komboloi and its history" in Greek, English, French, German, Italian and Russian. It is a unique book throughout the world which describes this up-to-now unknown friend.
The book includes the authentic history of the prayer strings of beads of the Hinduists, the Buddhists, the Muslims, the Catholic Christians, the Orthodox monks along with the history of the Greek komboloi.
At the same time the Komboloi Museum has published the album "Amber...the tears of Apollo", a truly luxurious publication, full of impressive photographs that answers many questions about this precious material.

French

Musée du Comboloi
(Chapelet, servant de passe-temps)

En Avril 1998 est fonde a Nauplie (Grèce) le premier Musée de Comboloi - unique au monde entier - par Aris Evangelinos qui collectionne et étudie le comboloi, depuis 1958. Ses premières leçons viennent de son grand père, qui vivait a Alexandrie d'Egypte ou, lui aussi, a appris les "secrets du comboloi".
Des 1963, son voyage dans les "sentiers" du comboloi commence et il continue toujours.
II recueille la connaissance, ainsi que de rares et vieux combolois, qui se trouvent partout dans le monde - Hindouistes, Bouddhistes, Musulmans, Catholiques et Grecs - des pays ou l'hellénisme de "diaspora" a bien fleuri.
II a acqueri, alors, sa collection unique au monde d'environ mille (1000) combolois qui se datent de 1700 jusqu' a 1950 , en_ ambre pur, en mastic (résine de lentisque),en faturan, en corail rouge et noir (youssouri),en ivoire, en corne, en ebene, etc.
Au musée, sont exposes les 361 combolois de sa collection dans 4 petites salles : A la salle A', 102 Hindouistes - Bouddhistes - Musulmans, a la salle B'15 rosaires Catholiques, aux salles C et D', 240 grecs et comboskoinia (objets de prière de Orthodoxes) de Monsteres.
Pendant les 4 premières années de la vie du Musee, 21000 amis du comboloi 1' ont visite.
La presse grecque a montre un très grand intérêt, en vouant de longs reportages - Ta Nea, Eleftherotypia, To Vima, Kathimerini, et plusieurs autres. Des magazines - Status, Epsilon, Panorama hellénique, Ef, et d'autres encore. Ainsi que des journaux étrangers - National herald de N.York - ou encore des magazines comme National Géographie et New York Time Magazine. Le même intérêt a ete montre par la radio-television grecque et étrangère comme NET, Antenna, ET3, BBC et Lonely Plane.
Le Musée a son siège dans un bâtiment conserve et prive a deux étages, dans la vieille ville de Nauplie, au 25, rue Staikopoulou. L'exposition se trouve au deuxième étage. Au rez de chaussée c'est l'atelier qui conserve les vieux combolois et confectionne des copies de vieux combolois, avec des perles faites a la main qui se fabriquent dans les laboratoires prives du Musée en Orient. L'atelier entretient les vieux combolois et les reliques des familles gratuitement. Au rez de chaussée, on
vend des combolois fabriques dans 1' atelier.
Le but et l'intention du Musée c'est de sauver et de répandre le traditionnel comboloi Grec
Le Musée fonctionne sous la surveillance du Ministère de la Culture.

L' Atelier
L'atelier se trouve au rez de chaussée du Musée, ou les visiteurs ont la possibilité d'observer la fabrication des combolois.
Les vieux combolois y sont conserves et on y fabrique des copies fidèles avec des perles faites a la main en ambre pur, en faturan, encorne, en coquille, en crystal etc.
Avec ces mêmes perles on fabrique des porte-cles. Ainsi que des combolois- amulettes uniques au monde, bases sur une vieille connaissance secrète.

Publications
Le livre « le comboloi est son histoire » est deza en vente par les éditions du Musée, en grecque et en anglais. C'_est un livre unique au monde qui décrit l'ami jusqu' alors inconnu.
Le livre contient l'histoire authentique du "comboloi" de la prière des hindouistes, Bouddhistes, Musulmans, Catholiques et des moines Orthodoxes, ainsi que du comboloi grec.
L'Album avec les objets exposes du Musée et le livre «le comboloi et son histoire» sont en train d'être publies en Français.

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