Central and Southwest Asian Dress Studies. a Bibliographical Introduction

KHIL{A 3 (2007-2009), pp. 97-106. doi: 10.2143/KH.3.0.2066224

Central and Southwest Asian Dress Studies. A Bibliographical Introduction

Gillian VOGELSANG-EASTWOOD Textile Research Centre, Leiden

The study of dress in Central and Southwest Asia will be seen, not every author takes this austere view was for long been very patchy. Some regions and of the subject. groups have been studied in depth by the academic The books and articles included in this section are world, while others are, at best, committed to foot- intended to be an introduction to the subject of Central notes or totally ignored. There is also a significant and Southwest Asian dress studies, rather than a com- difference between the study of archaeological and prehensive list of all the publications in this field. In historical textiles and dress and those items dating addition, in keeping with the policy of the Berg to the late 19th and 20th centuries. An important Encyclopaedia the choice of publications is deliberately factor in this situation was the lack of interest, until biased towards dress studies rather than descriptions comparatively recently, by academia in the study of of textiles, their production or appearance, unless this pre-modern and modern material culture from the information is directly relevant to either garments or region and more particularly in the areas of textiles accessories. For further information about particular and dress. This situation is changing slowly, but it forms of Central Asian and Southwest Asian dress will be some years before Central and Southwest please consult the relevant articles and their biblio- Asian dress has a literature list comparable to that graphies in this particular volume. of European or American dress studies. The publi- In addition, it should be noted that stress has cation of the fifth volume of the Berg Encyclopedia been placed on studies available in Western lan- of World Dress and Fashion (2010), on Southwest guages, notably English, French and German, rather and Central Asia, will be a real boon. than Arab, Persian, Russian and Turkish studies, At the end of the 20th century there was a range of unless they have been translated. The reason for approaches to the study of Central and Southwest this is simply the accessibility of the source material Asian dress; literally from anthropological, archaeo- for a wider audience. logical, art historical, sociological, costume and dress, to economic, trade and religious studies. However, it CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ASIAN DRESS STUDIES: is noticeable that, in general, books and articles on GENERAL dress can be divided into two main types: (a) those which are concerned with the theory of dress and Comments on the various types of Central and illustrate very few, if any, actual garments, and (b) Southwest Asian dress can be traced back hundreds those that are more object orientated and include a of years. Many of the early descriptions are by Arab variety of depictions of clothing and accessories. and Persian scholars and travellers. Perhaps one of An extreme example of this divide can be seen in the most intriguing is the Tunisian born writer Ibn Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper and Bruce Ingham arti- Battuta (1304–1369), who travelled throughout the cle, “Approaches to the study of dress in the Middle Maghreb (north Africa), Southwest Asia, India and East,” which advocates the view that only a theo- China during the early to mid-14th century C.E. retical, ethnographic approach to the subject is and left many incidental references to medieval valid: “the most compelling entry point for any dress forms. His book has been translated on vari- critical discussion of the clothing of the Middle ous occasions over the last century, one of the latest East is through particular, fine-grained ethno- being: The Travels of Ibn Battutah (ed. Tim graphic and socio-linguistic studies” (1997, p. 5). Mackintosh-Smith, London, Picador, 2003). Anything else appears to come under the heading of There are also various medieval European books biased, subjective, and emotional. Fortunately, as that refer to dress in Southwest Asia, many of which

993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 9977 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 were written by pilgrims, both Christian and Jewish, Further information about medieval textiles and travelling to Jerusalem via either what is now Turkey dress, but from an economic and social position or more usually travelling by foot or boat in the can be found in Prof. S.D. Goitein’s five volume Eastern Mediterranean. Two useful sources of infor- study on medieval Jewish life in the eastern Mediter- mation of this genre are von Harff and Schweigger. ranean region: A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Arnold von Harff, The Pilgrimage of Arnold von Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Harff, Knight: from Cologne through Italy, Syria, Documents of the Cairo Geniza (Berkeley, University Egypt, Arabia, Ethiopia, Nubia, Palestine, Turkey, of California Press, 1967-1993). Again it is based on France and Spain, which he accomplished in the years the Geniza Papers, but it provides a tantalising look 1496 to 1499. (London, the Hakluyt Society, 1946). at medieval life in the eastern Mediterranean. Von Harff was a 15th century C.E. pilgrim from Stillman later wrote an article on Arab clothing Germany, who travelled throughout Turkey and the called “Libas” (clothing, dress), which was published Eastern Mediterranean. He includes numerous in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, vol. V (Leiden, Brill, woodcuts with descriptions of dress in this region. also available in digital form). This article formed the The second example is an account of the travels basis for her book, Arab Dress: A Short History from in the Levant in the 1580s by the Jewish pilgrim, the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times (2000, Leiden, again from Germany, Salomon Schweigger, Eine Brill), which came out shortly after her death. This newe Reyssbeschreibung auss Teutschland nach book also includes a chapter with an extensive list of Constantinopel und Jerusalem, (1964, trans. by R. books and articles on Arab dress in general. Other Neck, Graz). Again Schweigger uses various wood- books on Islamic dress and textiles include Patricia cuts to illustrate the garments worn in the various Baker, Islamic Textiles (London, British Museum countries he travelled through. Press, 1995), which is mainly about Islamic textiles, One of the first serious, Western studies of Arabic but there are many references to dress. dress was conducted by the Dutch Orientalist, Twentieth century Southwest Asian dress is the R.P.A. Dozy and published in his book, Dictionnaire subject of (eds) N. Lindisfarne-Tapper and B. Detaillé des Noms des Vêtements chez les Arabes Ingham, Languages of Dress in the Middle East, (Amsterdam, Jean Müller, 1845; reprinted Beirut, (London, SOAS, Curzon Press, 1997), which Libraire du Liban, n.d.). This work remains an includes a curious selection of articles that are not important source of information about the early ref- just on Middle Eastern dress. The articles from erences to clothing, but a knowledge of the Arabic this book that are of direct relevance to Southwest alphabet is needed to use it. Asian dress are listed below under the relevant One of the main 20th century sources about sub-headings. medieval textiles and dress from Central and Jenny Balfour-Paul, Indigo in the Arab World Southwest Asia is R.B. Serjeant, Islamic Textiles: (Richmond, Curzon Press, 1997), is much more Material for a History up to the Mongol Conquest than just a book about indigo. It places the dye in (Beirut, Librairie du Liban, 1972). This book is a its historical and social context, with many refer- based on a series of articles published in Ars Islamica ences to both textiles and items of clothing dyed between 1942-1951, and then put together to create with indigo. It has become a standard book on the one volume. It is an essential source book for rele- subject. vant texts about textiles and dress in medieval Arab General articles on various aspects of Arab and Persian literature. culture, including textiles and clothing, can also be Another name that appears regularly when look- found in Aramco World, which is published on a ing for information about early Arab and Middle regular basis by the Saudi Aramco oil company. Eastern dress (in its widest sense) is Yadida Stillman. Her Ph.D. thesis on Female Attire of Medieval Egypt; CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ASIAN DRESS STUDIES: According to the Trousseau Lists and Cognate Material REGIONAL from the Cairo Geniza (Pennsylvania University, 1972) was the first of a series of works based on the The following publications about Central and Geniza Papers; a large quantity of Jewish docu- Southwest Asian dress have been given in a roughly ments found in Cairo that date from the 10th – 13th geographical order, from west to east, rather than centuries C.E. an alphabetical list of lands. This was done so that

993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 9988 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 so that it would be possible to look at regional Costume of the Near and Middle East (London and styles of dress rather than being bound by modern, Sydney, Unwin Hyman, 1987), discusses the devel- political boundaries. Emphasis has been placed on opment of female dress from antiquity to the early 20th century authors, although exceptions have 20th century. It concentrates on Ottoman dress, been made for particularly interesting or useful both from Istanbul and various areas of the Ottoman earlier works. Empire, the influence of the Ottomans on Arab clothing for women, and Persian and Afghan female Turkish dress dress in general for comparative purposes. Ottoman court dress is described in various arti- For centuries Turkish dress has been the focus of cles and books. A detailed account of the dress and interest of various Western authors, especially in the textiles from the Topkapi Palace museum can be field of textiles, court dress and embroidery. This found in Hülye Tezcan and Selma Delibas, Topkapi: interest was mainly driven by commercial and dip- Costumes, Embroideries and Other Textiles (trans- lomatic ties between the Ottoman Empire and lated, expanded and edited by Michael Rogers; Europe that developed from the 16th century C.E. London, Thames and Hudson, 1986). Patricia onwards. Once such book is Les Moeurs et Fachons Baker, Joanne Wearden and Anne French, de Faire des Turz, (Brussels, 1553) by the Flemish “Memento Mori: Ottoman children’s kaftans in the tapestry designer, Pieter Coeke van Aelst, who trav- Victoria and Albert Museum,” Hali, no. 51 May elled to the Ottoman court in the mid-16th century 1990, pp. 131-140, offers a slightly different view on in order to acquire orders for Flemish tapestries. It the use of clothing in the Ottoman Empire and is a very useful, visual source of Ottoman dress especially the court. Patricia Baker is also the author from this period. of a lavishly illustrated book on court dress called Turkey was well known for the production of Silks for the Sultan: Ottoman Imperial Garments costume albums which depicted the dress of from the Topkapi Palace (Istuanbul, Ertug and Istanbul, the Ottoman court and often provinces Kocabiyik, 1996). Finally, there is Nurhan Atasoy, and groups within the Ottoman Empire. These Walter Denny, Louise Macke, Julya Tezcan, Ipek – were used by both Ottoman civil servants and visi- Imperial Ottoman Silks and Velvets (London, tors to the Ottoman court and world. This genre Azimuth Editions, 2001), which concentrates on culminated in Hamdy Bay, S-E. and M. de Launay’s the Ottoman textile industry, but also includes photographic album produced for the 1878 definitive sections on Ottoman dress. International Exhibition in Vienna: Les Costumes John Norton, “Faith and Fashion in Turkey,” populaires de la Turquie en 1878, Ouvrage publiée (eds., N. Lindisfarne-Tapper and B. Ingham, sous le Patronat de la Commission Imperial et Languages of Dress in the Middle East, London, Ottomane pour l’Exposition universelle de Vienne Curzon Press, 1997, pp. 149-177), looks at the effect (1878; Constantinople). It includes a set of studio of religion on Turkish urban dress and the changes photographs that depict garments and outfits from during the 20th century. throughout the Ottoman Empire towards the end Suraiya Faroqhi, Subjects of the Sultan; Culture of the 19th century. and Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire, London, I.B. Some interesting Western travelogues that Tauris 2000 and more recently, by the same author, include details about Turkish dress are: Julia Pardoe, “Female costumes in late fifteenth-century Bursa” The City of the Sultan and Domestic Manners of the in Ottoman Costumes from Textile to Identity (eds. Turks in 1836 (2 vols., London 1837), Lucy Garnett, Suraiya Faroqhi and Christoph K.Neumann, The Women of Turkey and their Folklore (2 vols., Istanbul, Eren, 2004, pp. 81-91), are useful books London, David Nutt, 1890), and Mrs. W. M. for understanding the main types of Ottoman Ramsay, Every-day Life in Turkey (London, Hodder urban dress in general. While Marlene Breu, and Stoughton, 1897). Traditional Turkish Women’s Dress: A Source of More recent and specific studies about Turkish Common Understandings for Expected Behaviors (ed. dress and their social context include: Pars Tuû ˙laci, Linda Welters, Folk Dress in Europe and Anatolia, Women of Istanbul in Ottoman Times (Istanbul, Oxford, Berg 1999, pp. 33-52), provides more CEM Yayinevi, 1984), which presents the subject detailed information about 20th century Anatolian from a Turkish stand point. Jennifer Scarce, Women’s dress and dress codes.

993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 9999 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 Surayiay Faroqhi also wrote Towns and Townsmen frequently produced in both Hebrew and English of Ottoman Anatolia: Trade, Crafts and Food editions. Production in an Urban Setting 1520-1650 (London: Cambridge University Press 1984) has some details Palestinian and Jordanian dress: One area of about the early production of textiles and dress in Eastern Mediterranean textiles and dress that far Anatolia. More detailed information can be found outweighs other areas of Arab dress studies is that in Mehmet Ozel, Turkish Folkloric Costumes of Palestinian and Jordanian dress. There has been (Ankara, Publication of the Fine Arts Development an interest in this subject from the late 19th century Foundation of Turkey, No. 1, 1992), and (ed.) onwards, mainly because of historical and Biblical Gunsel Renda, Woman in Anatolia; 9000 years of connections to the region and Western missionaries the Anatolian Woman (Istanbul, Ministry of using Palestinian dress in order to explain what Culture,1993) clothing looked like in the time of Jesus. Missionaries There are several recent books on the subject of frequently used to give lectures about the situation Ottoman period embroidery which include dress in ‘modern’ Palestine in Europe and America and related items, notably, Roderick Taylor, Ottoman often had collections of dress to show members of Embroidery (Northampton MA, Interlink Publishing the public in order to make them more enthusiastic Group, 1993), which is basically about Istanbul and generous in their donations. Ottoman embroidery rather than looking at The subject of Palestinian dress, especially that Ottoman Empire embroidery in general; (ed.) Nitza worn by women, has been the subject of numerous Behroozi, Shimmering Gold – The Splendour of Gold books, articles and exhibitions, throughout the 20th Embroidered Textiles (Tel Aviv, Eretz Israel Museum, century. The artistic elements of the embroidered 2007), and Sumru Belger Krody, Flowers of Silk & and woven dresses have a particular appeal through- Gold: Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery out the world. Notable publications include (in (Washington D.C., The Textile Museum, 2000), is chronological order): Friedrich Ulmer, a catalogue to a beautiful exhibition held at the “Südpalästinensische Kopfbedeckungen,” Zeitschrift Textile Museum, Washington, D.C. It covers a much des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins, XLI, 1918, pp. wider range of subjects than the Taylor book. 81-99; J. Jouin, “Le costume féminin dans l’Islam Jewish, or more accurately Sephardic Jewish Syro-Palestinien,” Revue des Etudes Islamiques, VIII, dress, embroidery and textiles in general are the 1934, pp. 481-505; Crowfoot, Grace and Phyllis subject of a catalogue produced by the Israel Sutton, “Ramallah embroidery”, Embroidery, III, Museum, Jerusalem for a travelling exhibition. The 1935, pp. 25-37; Grace Crowfoot, “Embroidery of accompanying catalogue: (ed) Esther Juhasz, Bethlehem,” Embroidery, 1936, pp. 9-14; A. Aussen, Sephardi Jews in The Ottoman Empire: Aspects of Coutumes des Arabes au pays de Moab (1948, Paris Material Culture, (Jerusalem, The Israel Museum, Adrien-Maisonneuve), which looks at the dress 1989-1990 – depending on which edition is used) is from what is now part of Jordan. Moab is the his- well illustrated and contains a wide range of infor- torical name for a mountainous strip of land run- mation on this subject. ning along the eastern shore of the Dead Sea; Jan MacDonald, “Palestinian Dress,” Palestine The Eastern Mediterranean Exploration Fund Quarterly, 1950-1, pp. 55-68; Shelagh Weir, “The traditional costumes of the Jewish and Israeli dress: Although dress plays an Arab women of Palestine,” Costume 3 (1969), pp. important role within the Jewish community, 44-45; and Shelagh Weir, Palestine Embroidery whether in Israel or spread throughout Central and (London, British Museum Press, 1970) and by the Southwest Asia, there are surprisingly few works in same author, The Bedouin: Aspects of the Material a Western language on the subject of Jewish (reli- Culture of the Bedouin of Jordan, (London, World of gious) dress or Jewish dress in Central or Southwest Islam Festival Publishing Company, 1976); Widad Asia. Most publications are in Hebrew and are not Kawar, Costumes Dyed by the Sun (Bunka Publishing yet available to a wider audience. Similarly, there House. Tokyo, Japan, 1982); Ziva Amir, The are very few books and articles on dress in post- Embroidered Costume of the Women of Tuba 1948 Israel. The main exception are various publi- –Tradition and Modernization in a Bedouin Village cations by the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, which are (Edot: Studies in Ethnography, Israel Museum,

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110000 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 Jerusalem, 1984, 1); Jeni Allenby, Portraits without Gulf dress: A useful source of information about Names: Palestinian Costume (Canberra, Palestine Gulf urban dress is Aida Sami Kanafani, Aesthetics Costume Archive, 1995); Elizabeth Price, and Ritual in the United Arab Emirates: The Embroidering a Life: Palestinian Women and Anthropology of Food and Personal Adornment among Embroidery (Sunbula in cooperation with the Arabian Women (Syracuse, Syracuse University Palestinian Heritage Center, Bethlehem, 1999), and Press, 1983), which includes details about dress and finally, Margarita Skinner and Widad Kawar, veiling in the region. Jennifer Scarce, The Evolving Palestinian Embroidery Motifs: A Treasury of Stitches Culture of Kuwait (Edinburgh, Royal Scottish 1850-1950 (London, Melisende Publishing Ltd., Museum, 1985), includes information on historical 2007), which includes details about the relationship and contemporary dress from the region. Similarly, between Palestinian dress and embroidery. Sawsan Ghuloon Karimi’s PhD thesis on Dress and Of particular note, however, are: Yadida Stillman, Identity: Culture and Modernity in Bahrain (SOAS, Palestine: Costume and Jewelry (Albuquerque, London, 2003), concentrates on urban dress and University of New Mexico Press, 1979)which is she discusses among other subjects, the role of Islam based on the collection at the Museum of and the influence of international trade on Gulf International Folk Art, Santa Fe, and Shelagh Paine, dress and that of Bahrain in particular. There are Palestinian Costume (London, British Museum also references to Gulf dress in Heather Colyer Ross Press, 1989), which uses the collection in what was 1994. The Art of Arabian Costume: A Saudi Arabian the Museum of Mankind, London, and the Widad Profile (Clarens-Montreux, Arabesque Commercial Kawar collection in Jordan. Paine’s book is regarded SA, 1994). as one of the standard works on the subject. The main book on historical and modern dress Omani dress: Considering the important role dress from the Eastern Mediterranean region remains: plays in Omani society there are remarkably few (eds.) Gisela Vögler, Karin van Welck and Katharina books or articles on the subject. The main ones are Hackstein, Pracht und Geheimnis: Kleidung und Uni Wikan, Behind the Veil in Arabia: Women in Schmuck aus Palästina und Jordanien (Ethnologica Oman (Chicago, University of Chicago Press,1982). 13, 1987), which is a catalogue to an exhibition held This is an anthropological study of a group of in Cologne, Germany, in 1987. This exhibition was women and how they live in northern Oman, with again based on Widad Kawar’s collection. considerable information about dress, the various forms and how it is used by both men and women. The Arabian Peninsula This book caused Wikan to be banned from Oman because of the perceived controversial nature of Bedouin dress: There are a few articles and books some of her chapters. The article by Dawn Chatty, on Bedouin life which refer either specifically or in “The burqa face cover: an aspect of dress in south- passing to dress; these include Alois Musil, Manners eastern Arabia,” (eds. Nancy Lindisfarne-Tapper and Customs of the Rwala Bedouins (New York, and Bruce Ingham, Languages of Dress in the Middle American Geographical Society, 1928), which has East, London, London, Cruzon Press, 1997, pp. various references to Bedouin dress and how dress 127-148), is a general introduction to the use of face was regarded by the Rwala Bedouins from the north veils and veiling in the region. east of the Arabian Peninsula. One of the standard books on mid-20th century Bedouin life is H.R.P. Saudi Arabian dress: Although Saudi Arabian Dickson, The Arab of the Desert: A Glimpse into dress is very varied, little work has been carried Badawin Life in Kuwait and Sau’di Arabia (London, out on this subject. There is information about George Allen and Unwin, 1949). This book con- early 19th century Arab urban and Bedouin dress tains various chapters with useful information about from this region in Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, dress and textiles. His wife, Violet Dickson, pub- Notes on the Bedouins and Wahabys, Collected lished a woman’s perspective on this way of life in During his Travels in the East, (London, 1830), her autobiography, Forty Years in Kuwait, (London, and from the latter half of the 19th century in Sir. George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1971), which again Richard Burton, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage includes various references to dress, especially that to Al-Madinah and Meccah (2 vols, London, relating to women. Tylson and Edwards, 1893).

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110101 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 An anthropological study by Motoko Katakura, these volumes and includes some of the illustra- Bedouin Village: A Study of a Saudi Arabian People tions. in Transition (Tokyo, Tokoyo University Press, John Baldry, Textiles in Yemen: Historical 1977), includes a range of information about dress References to Trade and Commerce in Textiles in and the changing forms within a western, Saudi Yemen from Antiquity to Modern Times (London, Arabian village. British Museum Occasional Paper, no. 27, 1982), is The main sources of information about 20th cen- a very useful source book on both textiles and cloth- tury Saudi Arabian dress remain John Topham, ing from this region. Traditional Crafts of Saudi Arabia (London, Stacey There are several late 20th century accounts of International, 1981) and Heather Colyer Ross, The Yemeni dress including Carla Makhlouf, Changing Art of Arabian Costume: A Saudi Arabian Profile Veils: Women and Modernization in North Yemen (Clarens-Montreux, Arabesque Commercial SA, (Austin, University of Texas Press, 1979). This 1994). The book by Ross is more fashion oriented remains a very useful study about the social role of in the form of writing and illustrations, but it is a veiling in late 20th century northern Yemen and useful starting point. Ross also wrote Bedouin includes many details about urban dress in the region Jewellery (London, Stacey International, 1978), and how women use dress in their daily lives. which was produced in a similar manner, but again R. B. Serjeant and Ronald Lewcock, San‘a’: An is a good place to begin. Arabian Islamic City (London, World of Islam In 1987 there was a travelling exhibition in the Festival Trust, 1983) was published as part of the US about Saudi Arabian dress, called Palms and 1983 World of Islam festival. The book includes a Pomegranates: Traditional Dress of Saudi Arabia. chapter by Martha Mundy, on urban dress from the There is a small catalogue of the same name to this capital of Yemen, Sana‘a’ (pp. 1920-1975). The lat- exhibition which has useful information and illus- ter is an excellent source of information about both trations. male and female clothing and accessories and about their role within Sana‘a society. Yemeni dress: There are various commercial Arnaud Maurières, Philippe Cahmbon and Éric accounts of Yemeni textiles and dress dating back to Ossart, Reines de Saba: Itineraires Textiles au Yémen the 17th century, notably in the Dutch East India (in French and Spanish; Aix-en Provence, Edisud, Company (VOC; Vereenigde Oost-Indische Com- 2003), is a catalogue to a stunning, travelling exhi- pagnie) records. These have been published in two bition on Yemeni textiles and costume. It has a wide articles by C. G. Brouwer, “White, silk, striped range of information and colour photographs of a commerbands with silver heads: Textiles in the toll- wide range of male and female garments.The house of seventeenth-century Al-Mukha, listed by accompanying texts however are not very long, pos- Dutch traders” (Khil‘a, 1, 2005, pp. 15-68, and sibly because of the catalogue was published in two C.G. Brower, “Cottons for coins: Textile transac- languages. tions in Ottom-Kasimid al-Mukha: Observations Jewish dress in Yemen is described in Ester by Dutch participants” (Khil‘a, 2, 2006, pp. 23-82). Muchawsky-Schnapper, The Jews of Yemen: Highlights Illustrated information of Yemeni dress from of the Israel Museum Collection (Jerusalem, The Israel the 18th century can be found in the account of Museum, 1994). It is a good source of information the ill-fated Danish expedition to Yemen in 1761- about both Jewish and Yemeni dress in general. 1767. The only survivor of the expedition, Carsten Niebuhr, published Beschreibung von Arabien in Arab Peninsular accessories: silver jewellery and 1772, followed by two more volumes, Reise- weapons: There are numerous books that refer or beschreibung von Arabien und anderen umliegenden describe silver jewellery from the Arabian Peninsula. Ländern in 1774-1778. These were soon trans- Neil Richardson and Marcia Dorr, The Craft lated into French, Dutch and English. All of these Heritage of Oman, Dubai, Motivate Publishing, volumes are copiously, illustrated including a 2003), for example, is a very interesting, two vol- series of portraits depicting regional dress for both ume book on the crafts of Oman. It includes numer- men and women. A shortened account by Thorkild ous references and accounts to textiles and dress Hansen, Arabia Felix: The Danish Expedition of accessories, including jewellery, weapons such as 1761-1767 (London, Collins, 1964), is based on silver daggers, and how they are made.

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110202 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 Three modern works on Omani silver jewellery an area of great importance as the Kurds straddle and daggers are by Ruth Hawley, Omani Silver the Arab, Turkish and Persian and Arab worlds, (London, Longman Group, 1977), Jehan Rajab, while having a very strong sense of Kurdish identity Silver Jewellery of Oman (London, I. B. Tauris, 1997); which is reflected in their language, music, dance and Avelyn Forster, Disappearing Treasures of Oman and, of course, dress. (Clevodon, Archway Books, 2000, paperback ed). The standard book on the Kurds is Mehrdad The latter book is rather curious as it is written by a Izady, The Kurds, a Concise Handbook. (Washington, collector who wants to prevent silver jewelry vanish- Philadelphia, London: Crane Russak, Taylor and ing from the region by making it easy for (Westerners) Francis International Publishers, 1992) has some people to identify, collect and repair it. information about dress, but it is limited. A useful This section on Arabian Peninsular dress could anthropological sources about Kurdish dress is by not be complete without a reference to Clara Semple, Henny Harald Hansen, The Kurdish Woman’s Life A Silver Legend: The Story of the Maria Theresa (Nationalmuseets Skrifter, Etnografisk Raekke, Thaler (Manchester, Barzan Publishing, 2005). VII. Kopenhagen: Nationalmuseet, 1961). This This book tells the story of a silver coin originally book is primarily about a group of Iraqi Kurdish produced in Austria that transformed the produc- village women and includes several sections on tion and appearance of silver jewelry throughout dress, the construction and identification of indi- Southwest Asia. vidual items, as well as differences between village Robert Elgood, Islamic Arms and Armour and urban Kurdish dress. London, Scolar Press, 1979), is a comprehensive Another useful source is by Maria T. O’Shea, study of Arab weapons from throughout the “Kurdish costume: Regional diversity and diver- Arabian Peninsula and is regarded as a standard gence” in: (eds.) Philip J. Keyrenbroek and Christine study of the subject. Allison, Kurdish Culture and Identity (London and New Jersey, Zed Books Ltd., 1996, pp. 135-155). Syrian dress This study covers various aspects of both Iranian and Iraqi Kurdish urban and village dress. Finally, There is very little readily available information in Or Shwartz-Be’eri, The Jews of Kurdistan, Daily about Syrian dress and textiles. The most accessible Life, Customs, Arts and Crafts (Jerusalem, The Israel sources are published in Johannes Kalter, Margareta Museum, 2003), the textiles and dress associated Pavaloi, and Maria Zerrnickel, The Arts and Crafts with Jewish Kurds in Iraq and Iran are described of Syria (London, Thames and Hudson, 1992). The and discussed. articles in this book that are directly related to dress and textiles are: Johannes Kalter, “Syrian folk jewel- Iraqi dress lery” (pp. 79-102); Maria Zernickel, “The costume of the nomads,” (pp. 158-162); Margareta Pavaloi, There is very little readily available information “Wearing clothes” (pp. 161-172); Maria Zernickel, about Iraqi dress. One of the main items is by Layla “Textile techniques,” (pp. 172-190); Maria Pio, Tissues et Vêtements Traditionnels d’Iraq Zernickel, “Making Arab clothes” (pp. 191-201); (Conférence/brochure. Service De Coopération et Maria Zernickel, “Obtaining and processing the d’Action Culturelle, Section des Interest Français en raw materials” (pp. 202-210), and Margareta Iraq, 2002).The article by Ulrike al Khamis in this Pavaloi, “Textile stories” (pp. 211-231). volume of the Berg Encyclopaedia of World Dress and Fashion is the first, comprehensive survey article on Kurdish dress the subject.

Another sadly neglected area partly due to the Iranian dress Kurdish people being divided among Turkey, Iraq and Iran, each with their own policies of integra- The Iranians are known for their love of their his- tion. Lack of contact between the various groups, tory and culture, so it comes as no surprise that vast number of dialect groups and sub-groups, each there are many Iranian articles and books on the with their own forms. Very few collectors and schol- subject of Iranian textiles and costume, but there is ars interested in the field of Kurdish dress yet it is little Western literature on this theme. The main

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110303 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 Western source of information has long been Arthur F.P. Mistree, “Hues of Madder, Pomegranate, Upham Pope, Survey of Persian Art from Pre-Historic and Saffron: Traditional Costumes of Yazd,” in: Times to the Present, especially volumes V and XI, Pheroza Godrej and Firoza Punthakey Mistree, A (16 volumes, including two index volumes; London Zoroastrian Tapestry: Art Religion and Culture and Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1938-1939), (Ahmedabad, Mapin Publishing Ltd, 2002, pp. but much of the information about the textiles and 552-575, is a comprehensive description of the vari- dress is now considered out of date and very art his- ous types of Zoroastrian dress worn over the last torically biased. hundred years or so from Yazd, Iran. A standard book for understanding textile tech- Other, more theoretical works about Iranian nology is Hans E. Wulff, The Traditional Crafts of urban dress include Patricia Baker, “Politics of dress: Persia (Cambridge Massachusetts, Massachusetts The dress reform laws of 1920-1930s Iran,” (eds. N. Institute of Technology, 1966), which includes a Lindisfarne-Tapper and B. Ingham, Languages of large section on textile and leather crafts that are Dress in the Middle East, London, Cruzon Press, related to dress. Embroidery and dress details are 1997, pp.178-192). also included in (eds.) Jay Gluk, and Hiramoto Nomadic dress studies include: Joan Allgrove, Sumi Hiramoto, Survey of Persian Handicraft The Qashqai of Iran (Wilmslow, Richmond Press (Tehran-New York-Ashiya, Japan 1977). Ltd., Whitworth Gallery, Manchester University, Books and articles on Iranian dress can usually 1976), which is a catalogue produced for an exhibi- be divided into urban dress, ethnic/religious dress tion with the same name for the World of Islam and regional/nomadic dress. Historical urban dress Festival in 1976. The catalogue contains useful studies include items such as: John Upton, “Notes details about Qashqai textiles and dress. Peter A. on Persian costumes from the 16th and 17th centu- Andrews and Mügül Andrews, “Clothing. The ries,” (Metropolitan Museum Studies, vol. III, pt. 2, Sahsevan and Qaradagi” (in: ed. Ehsan Yarshater, 1930, pp. 206-220); Jenny Housego, “Honour is Encyclopaedia Iranica, 1990, pp. 837-838; digital according to habit: Persian dress in the 16th and form available) has useful information. Other items 17th centuries” (Apollo, XCIII 1971, pp. 204-209); on Shahshavan dress include Nancy Lindisfarne- Jennifer Scarce “The development of women’s veils Tapper, “The dress of the Shahsevan tribes people in Persia and Afghanistan” (Costume, 9, 1975, pp. of Iranian Azerbaijan” (in: eds. Nancy Lindisfarne- 4-14), and a chapter on Iranian and Afghan cos- Tapper and Bruce Ingham, Languages of Dress in the tumes in her book, Women’s Costume of the Near Middle East, London, 1997, pp. 67-79). and Middle East (London and Sydney, Unwin Richard Tapper and Jon Thompson, The Hyman, 1987); Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, An Nomadic Peoples of Iran (London, Azimuth Editions, Introduction to Qajar Era Dress (Rotterdam, 2002), contains chapters on most of the main Barjesteh and Co., Publishers, 2002), which is nomadic groups living in Iran. There are many based on the Hotz collection of late 19th century black/white and colour photographs, as well as a objects in the National Museum of Ethnology, considerable amount of information about regional Leiden, The Netherlands. The chadors referred to dress in this book. However, it should be noted that in Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, “The Iranian the sections on dress have all be Persianised, with chador” (Khil‘a 1, 2005, pp. 139-158), come from the use of Persian terms for clothing rather than, for the Textile Research Centre’s (TRC) collection, example, local Kurdish, Qashqai or Baluch termi- Leiden. nology. There are various references to both urban and nomadic dress in (ed.) Carol Bier, Woven for the Afghan Dress Soul, Spun from the Heart: Textile Arts of Safavid and Qajar Iran (Washington D.C., The Textile There are many references to historical Afghan dress Museum, 1987), which is a catalogue to an exhibi- in mostly British sources – due to the British military tion held at the Textile Museum, Washington. This and commercial presence in India. Nineteenth cen- book contains a considerable amount of informa- tury sources include: Mountstuart Elphinstone, An tion relating to both textiles and dress from Iran. It Account of the Kingdom of Caubul and its Dependencies is a ‘must’ for anyone working within the field of in Persia, Tartary, and India, Comprising a View of the Iranian textiles and dress. Afghaun Nation and a History of the Doorhaunee

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110404 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 Monarcy (London, 1815); James Atikinson, The Stickerei (Liestal, Bibliotheca Afghanica, 1983); Expedition into Afghanistan: Notes and Sketches Darleen Karpowicz, “Ice embroidery, golden threads Descriptive of the Country (London, 1842); Lockyer and women’s lives, a story of rural Afghan women Willis Hart, Character and Costumes of Afghanistan and embroidery” (The Experiment in International (London, 1843); James Rattray, The Costumes of the Living, Quetta, Pakistan, June 1991); Roland Paiva Various Tribes, Portraits of Ladies of Rank, Celebrated and Bernard Dupaigne, Afghan Embroidery (Lahore, Prices and chiefs, Views of the Principal Fortresses, and Ferozsons Ltd., 1993) is a useful study about Afghan Interior of the Cities and Temples of Afghanistan embroidery and embroidered garments in particu- (London, 1848), all of which have illustrations depict- lar, it also has many colour illustrations. Finally, ing ethnic and religious groups, as well as individual there is Sheila Paine, Embroidery from Afghanistan male and female clothing. (London, British Museum Press, 2006), which has To date there has been no comprehensive study many photographs, but very little factual text. of Afghan dress as a whole. Nevertheless useful sources of information about Afghan dress can be CENTRAL ASIAN DRESS found in the following works: Louis Dupree, Afghanistan, (Princeton, 1973, revised edition, For a long time the main source of information 1980); Nancy Dupree,. “Afghan women under the about Central Asian textiles and dress were trave- Taliban” (in: ed. William Maley, Fundamentalism logues, archaeological reports, or books on carpets Reborn? Afghanistan and the Taliban, London, C. which happened to mention local textiles or items Hurst and Co., 1988, pp. 145-166). of clothing. One of the most famous and earliest There are various articles that are directly related European travelogues must be that by Marco Polo to various aspects of Afghan dress, for example, by (1254-1324), The Travels of Marco Polo (also known Micheline and Pierre Centlivres, Calottes, mitres et by other names; there are various editions to this toques, Essai dánayse classificatrice d’une collection book), in which there are references to textiles and de bonnets d’Afghanistan (Bull. Annuel, Musée et dress in the various countries he travelled to, nota- Institute Ethnographie, Geneva,11, 1968, pp. 11-46. bly in China, India and Persia in the late 13th cen- The study looks at the various types of caps worn by tury C.E. men and women in northern Afghanistan. Jennifer With respect to the archaeological sources, par- Scarce “The development of women’s veils in Persia ticular reference should be made to the work of Sir and Afghanistan” (Costume, 9, 1975, pp. 4-14) and a Aurel Stein (1862-1943), who worked in the region chapter on Iranian and Afghan costumes in her book, in the 1920s. His reports, notably Ancient Khotan: Women’s Costume of the Near and Middle East Detailed report of archaeological explorations in (London and Sydney, Unwin Hyman, 1987), discuss Chinese Turkestan (Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1907); mainly 19th century Afghan dress for women; Willem Serindia: Detailed report of explorations in Central Vogelsang, “Dressing for the future in ancient garb: Asia and westernmost China (5 vols. London & The use of clothing in Afghan politics,” (Khil‘a 1, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1921a) and Innermost 2005, pp. 123-138) and by the same author, “Pakol: Asia: Detailed Report of Explorations in Central A distinctive, but apparently not so very old headgear Asia, Kan-su and Eastern Iran (Oxford, Clarendon form the Indo-Iranian borderlands,” (Khil‘a 2, 2006, Press, 1928), are valuable sources of information pp. 149-156), are interesting discussions about two, about textiles and dress from the eastern parts of male uses of dress in Afghanistan. Although Nasreen Central Asia. Askari and Rosemary Crill, Colours of the Indus: This situation changed significantly in 1997 Costume and Textiles of Pakistan (London, Victoria with the publication of two books. Firstly, Janet and Albert Museum, 1997), is a study of textiles and Harvey’s book, Traditional Textiles of Central Asia dress from Pakistan, there are many items that can be (London, Thames and Hudson, 1997), which is a directly related to Afghan dress, so is regarded as an survey of motifs, materials and dyes, felts, woven essential study. textiles, appliqué and embroidered textiles, and There is information about Afghan embroidery dress from the region. Secondly, James Watt and and how it is used in: Marie-Louise Nabholz- Anne Wardwell, When Silk was Gold: Central Asian Kartaschoff and Paul Bucherer-Dietschi, Textil- and Chinese Textiles (New York, The Metropolitan handwerk in Afghanistan, Filze, Gewebe, Leidung, Museum of Art, 1997)

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993399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd3399_Khila_3_2007-2009_06.indd 110505 77/06/11/06/11 16:2216:22 In addition to general books and articles on pp.147-66); Faegheh Shirazi, The Veil Unveiled: The Central Asian textiles and dress, there are various Hijab in Modern Culture (Gainesville, University publications that concentrate on either Turkmen or Press of Florida, 2003); Fatima Mernissi, Beyond the Uzbek forms. With respect to Turkmen dress the fol- Veil: Male-Female Dynamics in Modern Muslim lowing articles are good starting points (in chrono- Society (Cambridge: Mass., Schenkman Publishing logical order): Mügül Andrews and Peter Andrews, Co.,1975; revised edition: Indiana University Press, Turkmen Needlework, Dress Making and Embroidery 1987); Ursula M. Sharma, “Women and their aff- Among the Turkmen of Iran (London, Central Asian ines: The veil as a symbol of separation” (Man, Research Centre, 1976); I. A. Firouz, Silver Ornaments ns13, no. 2, 1978, pp. 218-233); Rema Hammami, of the Turkoman (Tehran, 1978); Veronica Gervers, “Women, the hijab and the Intifada” (Middle East “Construction of Türkmen coats” (Textile History, Report, No. 164/165, Intifada Year Three; May — 14, no. 1, 1983, pp. 3-27); Joannes Kalter, The Arts Aug., 1990; pp. 24-28, 71, 78); Marianne Alieza, At and Crafts of Turkestan (London, Thames and the Drop of a Veil (Houghton, Mariner Books, Hudson, 1984), and Peter Andrews, “Crowning the 1991); Farima Mernissi, The Veil and the Male Elite, bride. Some historical evidence on Türkmen wom- A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Rights in Islam en’s costume” (Folk, 33, 1991, pp. 67-106). (New York: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, Uzbek dress is discussed in various publications, 1991); Judy Mabro, Veiled Half-Truths: Western notably by Sigrid Westphal-Hellbusch and Gisella Travellers’ Perceptions of Middle Eastern Women Spitkahn, Mützen aus Zentralasien und Persien (London, New York, I. B. Tauris, 1991); Nilufer (Berlin, Museum für Volkerkunde, 1976); Dilarom Gole, The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Alimova and Nodira Azimova “Women’s position Veiling (Chicago, University of Michigan Press, in Uzbekistan before and after independence” in: 1996); (eds) Herbert L. Bodman and Nayereh Feride Acar and Ayse Günes-Ayata, Gender and Tohidi, Women in Muslim Societies: Diversity within Identity Construction: Women of Central Asia, the Unity (Boulder: Lynn Rienner Publisher, 1998), Caucasus and Turkey (Leiden, Brill, 2000, pp. 293- and Fadwa El Guindi, Veil: Modesty, Privacy and 305); and Sarah Posey, “Lakai Uzbek embroidery Resistance (Oxford, Berg Publishers, 1999), and from Afghanistan” (Embroidery, 54, 2003, pp. 34). Douglas Northrop, Veiled Empire: Gender & Power As a reflection of how more interest is being paid to in Stalinist Central Asia (2004). This final work is a Central Asian textiles and dress is the publication of valuable study on the history of veiling during the Kate Fitz Gibbon and Andrew Hale’s book, Uzbek Soviet period in Uzbekistan, when the Russian Embroidery in the Nomadic Tradition: The Jack A. authorities tried to ban and suppress veiling. and Aviva Robinson Collection at the Minneapolis There are considerably fewer studies on the phys- Institute of Arts, came out in 2007. ical nature of veils and veiling. A useful and inter- Since the fall of Soviet Russia, various books on esting article is by E. Marmorstein, “The veil in Central Asian dress have been published and are Judaism and Islam” (Journal of Jewish Studies, 5, no. available in the West. Most of these books are in 2, 1954, pp. 1-11). Two studies by Gillian Vogelsang- Russian, but some have English summaries. In Eastwood are, For Modesty’s Sake (Rotterdam, particular, there is a beautifully illustrated book Barjesteh and Co, 1996) and more recently, Covering on Uzbek caps and embroidery, by Irina the Moon: A History of Face Veils (Gillian Vogelsang- Bogoslovskaya & Larisa Levteeva, Skullcaps of Eastwood and Willem Vogelsang; Leuven, Peeters, Uzbekistan, 19th-20th Centuries, 2006 (in Russian; 2008). The first is a general study that accompanied Tashkent, 2006). an international exhibition that looked at the different types of veils and veiling used over the centu- ISLAMIC DRESS: HIJAB ries. The exhibition was held at the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, in 1996. The sec- Some interesting studies on the reasons behind ond book is the sequel and specifically looks at the the wearing of hijab are (in chronological order): different types of face veils worn from the Mahgreb Hanny Hansen, “The veil of Islam” (Folk, 25, 1983, to Central Asia.

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