Old rosaries and prayer beads strands from Senegal/Mali/Mauritania. Carefully and skillfully carved out of wood they showcase a great patina from constant use by the followers of specific muslim Sufi orders such as the Tidiane or Tidjane. During ritualistic use, sliding grains on the larger strand helps count prayers. There is usually a 100 of them at each full round. Each time it is completed, the devotee would slide to the opposite side, one of the 10 secondary grains on the smaller string attached. When all the 10 secondary grains have switched places, one is sure to have said the prayer 1000 times (100x10)! The more secondary strings the rosary got, the highest number of prayers can be said at once: 1 string= 1000, 2 strings = 10000, 3 strings = 100000..... other combinations are possible...the rosary transforms into an efficient calculator or a low-tech mechanical counter!