Ancient oil lamp from the Middle East???

This is an old oil lamp that my father brought back from the Middle East. I was told that it was a tear collector from torture victims, which seams a little crazy, but I know the women in my house and siblings get a very bad vibe from it, so I moved it to my office. I'm trying to get an idea of age and any other characteristics about it. You can see that it was damaged. On the top you can make out that there is a cat or dog just above the fill hole in the middle. I'm not sure if it has any value, but it would be interesting to find out more about it!