Owing to its origins in prehistory, the Hamsa Hand is a near-universal symbol across the world today, adopted by many major religions. Known as the Hand of Fatima in Islam, the Hand of Mary in Christianity, the Hand of Miriam in Judaism, and also present in the ancient religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.

While Christianity began in 30 AD, and Islam in 610 AD, the Hamsa Hand is said to have been used by the people of Carthage (modern-day Tunisia) in 800 BC, with recent archeological discoveries dating the use of the Hamsa back to 1500 BC in ancient Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq).

In erstwhile Carthage, the Hamsa symbol represented goddess Tanit, who held the meaning of life. 

While in Mesopotamia, the Hamsa represented goddess Ishtar (also called Inanna), who was the queen of heaven and believed to bestow love, beauty, sex, justice, and political power.
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