Khil'a

Editorial

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

editorial

Dressing for the Great Game

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

This contribution present a small, but historically significant group of Central Asian garments in the Department of Eastern Art, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. The garments were collected in the late nineteenth century by Robert Shaw, the author of Visits of High Tartary, Yarkand and Kashgar (reprint Hongkong 1984), a book that describes his travels from northern India to Central Asia (Yarkand and Kashgar) in 1868/9. Some of the garments, including a number of �Robes of Honour�, were given to him by Yakub Beg, who in 1865 had moved into this part of the world and carved out a small realm independent of the Chinese, only to be removed some ten years later. The robes are particularly spectacular, patterned in the complex resist-dye ikat technique that was used to decorate prestigious garments worn in the city states of Central Asia throughout the 19th and into the 20th century. The Robert Shaw Collection also includes trousers, riding boots, skullcaps, and ikat socks.

'White, silk, striped commerbands with silver heads'

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

Al-Mukh_ or Mocha, a Yemeni seaport on the Red Sea flourishing in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was renowned for its coffee export to all quarters of the world. Only recently it has been demonstrated that also spices, minerals, chinaware and slaves were traded on the city�s market. In the present contribution, based on a wealth of contemporary records preserved in the archives of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), conclusive evidence is adduced that at the turn of the seventeenth century hundreds of distinct sorts and varieties of fabrics and clothes, in addition to raw materials, reached the port city, either in the holds of cargo vessels or on the back of camels. Al-Mukh_�s tollhouse, in fact, was the epicentre of a textile emporium stretching from Eastern Asia to Southern Europe.

On the necessity of the dress

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

The present article studies the clothing, or lack of it, of some Coptic monks and hermits in early Christian and medieval Egypt. Some early texts stress the importance of nudity, as an expression or symbol of monastic virtue, a sign of poverty, penitence or innocence. Most of the reasons for which people would wear clothes, namely protection, comfort, adornment and expression of status, seemed irrelevant to the Coptic monks and hermits. Going around naked in company was also a form of self-humiliation. Being naked was likewise regarded as showing childlike innocence, the return to a state before any sins were committed. This aspect is clearly linked to the ritual of baptism, in which the new convert would undress and be ritually cleaned of sins. There is also the nudity of the athlete; the naked monk or hermit was likewise regarded as the warrior against the powers of evil.

Keswa Kebira

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

The article looks at one of the most important items of Jewish Moroccan dress, namely the keswa kebira, literally �the grand dress�. Traditionally every Jewish girl in Morocco received a keswa kebira as her wedding dress. It was then used by married women on every special occasion. The article considers various aspects of traditional Jewish life in Morocco, including a brief history of the Jewish communities with a description of the clothing regulations associated with urban Jewish populations. This is followed by a discussion of the keswa kebira�s history, the different elements that make up an outfit, and the role of accessories such as jewellery. This is then followed by a detailed description of the construction of one particular keswa kebira now in a private collection. The article ends with an appendix that looks at the production of gold thread, an essential item in the decoration of the keswa kebira in Morocco.

The symbolism of veiling and the poetics of unveiling in Early Modern Persian poetry

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

Abstract The aim of this article is to analyse the poetics and symbolism of the veil (ch_dor) in early modern Persian poetry. Traditionally, the veil has been a symbol of chastity, religiosity and honour. On several historical occasions, unveiling was seen as an act of protest. With the emergence of the women�s emancipation in Persia during the last decades of the Q_j_r dynasty (1794-1925), the veil had been considered a barrier, withholding women from progress and emancipation. Although a voluntary unveiling by a woman was initiated in the first half of the 19th century, by the poetess Qorrat al-`Ayn, a compulsory unveiling at a large scale did not start until Rez_ Sh_h of the Pahlavi dynasty issued a decree on 7 January 1936. This state-imposed removal of the veil had dramatic consequences. Not only did police mistreat women, who wore veils, on streets but women were also denied in public places. Many of them were incarcerated in their own homes for several years since they refused to remove the veil. This article examines how deeply the wearing of a veil is rooted in Persian society and how poets and poetesses tried to convince women to remove their veils. The majority of poets agreed that the veil prevented women from progress, yet each of them chose a different way of addressing the issue. The authors treated in this paper are, among others, Eshqi, Lahuti, Iraj Mir_z and Qaem-Maq_mi.

Dressing for the future in ancient garb

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

This article discusses the use of clothing in the politics of modern Afghanistan, and especially that of Hamid Karzai, who in December 2001, after his nomination as the new leader of post-Taliban Afghanistan, suddenly appeared in world media dressed in a costume that combined various aspects of local Afghan clothing traditions. One of the garments he adopted was the chapan, the originally Central Asian long cloak with long sleeves that has become the sartorial hallmark of the new Afghanistan, and that is currently frequently being presented to foreign dignitaries: the true Khil�a or Khilat, or �Robe of Honour�. The history of the chapan, as discussed in this article, can be traced back to the early first millennium BC. Other garments that are being discussed is the pakul, the cap with a flat top that was made famous by the Afghan leader Ahmad Shah Massud who was killed on 9 September 2001. Finally there is a technical description of a long gown of the chapan type that is housed in the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden, and is reported to be gift from the Afghan king and British puppet, Shah Shuja`, to the British representative, Sir William Hay Macnaghten, just before the latter was murdered in Kabul and the British were forced to retreat from Kabul, in January 1842.

The Iranian chador

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

The Iranian chador is one of the most well-known forms of veiling, yet very little attention has been paid to its history, construction and the various ways it is worn today. This article attempts to rectify this situation. It is divided into various sections that look at the history of the garment and in particular how it has been used by twentieth century politics. It also looks at the various ways the chador was and is constructed and how these forms have changed over the time. Finally, there is a discussion about the main types of chador and how they are worn. This article is intended to be read in association with the article by A.A. Sayyed �Gohrab in this journal, which looks at the symbolism of veiling in early, modern Persian poetry (Khil`a I, 2005, pp.107-121).

An Omani fashion show

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

In December 2003 a fashion show was held in Muscat, Oman, that demonstrated the imaginative and colourful manner in which some modern, Omani fashion designers have re-interpreted traditional Omani dress for women. In particular, attention is focussed in the article on the work of Nawal bint Hamed bin Hamid Al-Hooti, who is the owner and designer behind several haut couture ateliers in the Gulf region. As shown in the article by Alzadjali, the work of Nawal revolves around the various forms of Omani dress, but always with a twist.

Annotated list of recently published books on dress and textiles of the Islamic world

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

Annotated list of recently published books on dress and textiles of the Islamic world

Other recent publications on dress and textiles of the Islamic world

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

Other recent publications on dress and textiles of the Islamic world

Information for authors

poj@peeters-leuven.be — Fri, 26 Aug 2005 11:09:19 GMT

not available