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Animal hair and wool headband – Syria

Local Name	‘igal
Object Category	Accessory
Gender	Male
Date of object	1900s
Place Of orgin	Syria
Region	Syria
Object Range	Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Emirates, Kuwait, et al.
Dimensions	53 cm circumference
Materials	Metal Animal Hair Silk
Technique	Other
Color
Provenance	Purchased, Kerry Taylor Auction, London 2019
Location	The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative
Status	In storage
ZI number	ZI2019.500742.1a SYRIA

Object Note

Part of a set with another item (ZI2019.500742a SYRIA) also in the collection.

Object History

This piece was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

El Mutwalli from Kerry Taylor Auctions, London in 2019, to be added to and enhance The Initiative collection.

A seasoned auctioneer with experience from one of London’s most famous auction houses and more than 40 years in this business, Ms. Taylor is not just the founder of Kerry Talor Auctions but also an honourable member of the advisory board of The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative.

Object Description

This is a men’s traditional headband (‘igal) made of undyed camel hair bound in bundles in seven segments.

The segments are further divided into four thin cylindrical parts adorned with black silk and metal possibly gold threads. The two ends of the band are looped around each other making it a circle.

The wearer would usually twist it in two layers before placing it on their head and then tighten it with the help of the looped ribbon at the end.

More Info

The shatfah

Shatfah: (Arabic; Synonym: aqal, oqal, igal and other regional dialect and spelling variations, mgassab, faisaly), a looped headband often traditionally constructed of animal hair, later silk in corded fashion and gilded silver straw worn by Arab men of affluence as status symbol to keep their head scarves in place.

/ ‘igal boasts a rich historical legacy in the Levant, with a wide array of names and terms, often forms of various regional dialects. Several surviving artifacts from the Levantine antiquity provide tangible evidence of headband-wearing practices in this region since ancient times. Moreover, similar headgear was also prevalent in adjacent Greco-Roman cultures.

While the latter served as a ceremonial ornament, the shatfah

evolved into a practical accessory designed to secure the kerchief providing protection from inclement weather on the wearer's head.

Traditionally, shatfah

were crafted from either animal hair, typically camel's or goat's, or silk threads wrapped and adorned with metal threads, likely made of gold. The design of the has remained remarkably consistent across generations, as evidenced by visual sources like paintings and photographs.

The concept of the modern-day shatfah

is believed to have originated in Syria amongst Bedouin men, later adopted by wider Arab communities across the Middle East, especially in the Arabian Peninsula. However, in the Gulf region, it was predominantly worn by affluent men, as the materials used – silk and metal threads – were costly and not easily accessible to everyone.

The term (faisaly

Faīṣaly: (Arabic - headband; Synonym: iqal, oqal

Oqal: (Arabic - headband; Synonym: igal, iqal, mgassab, mqassab

Mqaṣṣab: (Arabic - headband; Synonym: iqal, oqal, igal, mgassab, shatfah

, faisaly), a looped headband often traditionally constructed of animal hair and later silk in corded fashion worn by men of the Arab world to keep their scarves in place.

, , faisaly), a looped headband often traditionally constructed of animal hair and later silk in corded fashion worn by men of the Arab world to keep their scarves in place.

, igal, mgassab, , faisaly), a looped headband often traditionally constructed of animal hair and later silk in corded fashion worn by men of the Arab world to keep their scarves in place.

, ), a looped headband often traditionally constructed of animal hair and later silk in corded fashion worn by men of the Arab world to keep their scarves in place.

) was coined in the 1960s, and associated with King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, who frequently sported a signature style of gold and black .

Links

Kalter, Johannes. Arts and Crafts of Syria. Thames and Hudson, 1993.
Rubens, Alfred. A History of Jewish Costumes. Peter Owen Limited, 1973.
Scarce, Jennifer. Women’s Costume of the near and Middle East. Unwin Hyman, 1987.
Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian, and W. J. Vogelsang. Covering the Moon: An Introduction to Middle Eastern Face Veils. Peeters, 2008.
Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Dressed with Distinction: Garments from Ottoman Syria. Fowler Museum at UCLA, 2019.
Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic, an Imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2016.
Francis, Ellen. “Lebanese Textiles Factory Shuts Its Doors in Dire Economy.” Reuters, 10 Apr. 2019, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-lebanon-economy-companies-idUSKCN1RM1H5.
Palestinian Heritage Foundation, palestineheritage.org/syrian_costumes/. Accessed 27 Oct. 2023.
“Materials Page.” Tala Barbotin Khalidy, www.talabarbotinkhalidy.com/materials-index. Accessed 27 Oct. 2023.

Animal hair and wool headband – Syria

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