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The Unser Hafen Arts & Sciences Library |
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Books, Articles, Guilds & Groups |
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Middle Eastern Persona Development |
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This class was taught in the afternoon at Winter Oasis on Jan. 20, 2007 by THL Nikolaos Demetriou ho Toxotes, Baron Eliyahu ben Ezra and Sayyidah Khalidah bint Yahya’a. Each covered a certain religion & region of the Middle East as it pertains to developing a persona. The outline below is Sayyidah Khalidah bint Yahya’a’s notes of the Muslim Middle Eastern Persona. A great deal of Islam deals with how one dresses and looks so that is the entire emphasis of this segment of the class. The clothing styles discussed are similar to the clothing worn by Middle Eastern Jews and the Byzantine Christians [after they stepped away from total Roman influence of course.] |
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Islamic Attire of the Middle East By Sayyidah Khalidah bint Yahya’a
General Rules for Attire:
- It is required by Islamic law for men and women to cover their heads as a constant state/reminder of prayer much like Judaism. Men cover their heads with a Turban, Kufi or Kefiyah and Agal. Women are required to cover their head, ears and neck. Some Islamic schools say that the forehead, chin and eyebrows are not part of the face so they must be covered as well. Women cover with a long scarf called a Hijab that is wrapped in such a way to completely cover the required non-face parts. There are some other means of covering for women as well but I have yet to find documentation for them in period. - Covers any and all body shape to courage relationship solidarity and focus on faith & and bettering oneself in Islam. - Men cannot wear anything fashioned for a woman and women cannot wear anything fashioned for a man. To do so is a sin.
All attire utilizes the fabric in its entirety. Both men’s and women’s basic attire consist of the same style – long gored tunic and salwar. Women’s attire is much looser fitting then men’s. Men’s thobes [the gored tunic] must go down past the knees but must stay above the ankle. Women’s kameez is mid-calf to floor length depending on the region.
According to the Qur’an and Hadiths, Men are required to wear a garment that covers from the neck to below the knees for the sake of modesty during prayer but it cannot touch the ground because in the Qur’an, it states that if a Man’s garment touches the ground, it drags in the Hell fire. Women are only allowed to show their face, hands and feet when not alone with their husband, father, sons or brothers.
The face veil comes into use as required Islamic attire for women in later period. This is because there are many Hadiths that state women shielded their faces including eyes from men who were not married to them or an immediate relative. Some Islamic schools of thought take these Hadiths as being valid and taken them very seriously so the inclusion of the face veil was out of necessity; although the face veil concept was already being utilized with turbans for men and hijabs for women where they wrapped in such a fashion that the fabric could be utilized to shield the face from a dust storm.
Fabrics Commonly Used:
Women’s Garments – Silk, Cotton and in some regions, lightweight wools & linens
Men’s Garments – Cotton and in some regions, lightweight wool & linens
Men are forbidden from wearing silk and gold which is stated in the Qur’an.
Colors Used:
Women’s Garments – Salwars are most commonly white or a natural tone but ones made of colored fabric and prints do appear in northern regions. The Kameez can be in a variety of colors and prints. The Outer Kameez/Caftan is generally black in color but it varies with the region. Women can, technically, wear any color but some Islamic schools of thought say that women should not wear orange or yellow.
Men’s Garments – Salwars are always white or in a natural tone. Men are forbidden from wearing orange or yellow as those colors are derived from the same spice(s) [saffron & turmeric] that Buddhist Monks used to dye their robes. It is considered a major sin for a man to wear a garment that mimics Buddhist attire. Fabric prints are not common in men’s attire; solid allowed colors are the norm. The only exception is the Mugdhub from the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula [which is basically the Middle Eastern equivalent of a kilt that is ankle-length] and it always consists of some kind of woven print.
Footwear:
Sandals, Leather Socks and Ankle to Calf High Leather boots are the most common forms of period footwear. Calf-High boots are most common in the northern regions of the Middle East.
Other Interesting Fashion Notes:
Kohl – Used by both men and women. Mentioned a great deal in the Hadiths and considered to protect the eyes from the intensity of the desert sun and the sand.
Henna – Used by both men and women. It is honored in the Hadiths for its healing properties. On women, it was used to decorate their hands and dye their hair in addition to the skin healing properties. For men, it was put on the palms of their hands and palms of their feet as a means of protecting the skin from damage.
Men & Beards – It is required by Islamic law for men to have beards. It is mentioned both in the Qur’an and in the Hadiths.
Period paintings that are painted by Europeans especially during and after the Crusades are NOT a reliable source for costuming information. The paintings made about this region during that timeframe were propaganda meant to show Europeans that Muslims were uneducated, immodest and immoral infidels. Most painting showed Europeans trying to educate these ‘infidels’ and the Europeans are always impeccably dressed, modest and with an air of superiority about them. The only things derived from these paintings that are of use are the basic shape of salwar and kameez/thobe worn as an undergarment. |