Featured African wooden pot of sorts

Hi everybody
I have this strange pot which i bought some 30 years ago when i travelled to Botswana.
I was told it was a witch doctors mixing pot and over 100 years old.
It is extemely heavy... 6Kg and measures 23 x 27cm high..9 x 11 inches high
Any ideas from where and for what it may have been used.
Many thanks for loooking
Norman

 

I would guess mixing pot is a fair description... as in a mortar for grinding and blending materials. No idea if it started as a functional object or just a tourist bit.

 

Thanks for that. I would not think a tourist item, due to the wear and patination which happens over many many years. Tourist piece it is not.

 

It looks like a nice old piece to my inexpert eyes. Maybe @2manybooks can help.

 

It is a traditional mortar used by Bedouins (across North Africa and the Middle East) to grind coffee.

https://www.catawiki.com/l/21345997...-marter-mihbaj-complete-middle-east-1850-1900


https://4columns.org/dayal-geeta/deben-bhattacharya

 

Its a really lovely piece. It has a well worn patina. Interesting item.