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| Local Name | Shaylah naghdah wurud; Shaylah naghdah; Shaylah naqdah |
| Object Category | Headwear |
| Gender | Female |
| Date of object | c. 1960 - 1980 |
| Place Of orgin | Bahrain |
| Region | Muharraq |
| Object Range | Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, et al |
| Dimensions | Length: 175 cm Length: 164 cm |
| Materials | Silk Metal |
| Technique | Hand Embroidered Woven |
| Color | |
| Motif | Floral Geometric |
| Provenance | Purchased, Faisal al Rayes, Bahrain 2017 |
| 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 | ZI2017.500123 BAHRAIN |
Object History
This piece was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq
Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli
Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt. Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli
Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.
A Bahraini designer focused on Bahraini traditional costumes; Mr Al Rayes reached out to Dr Reem through social media. Their mutual interest in traditional fashion subsequently led to their friendship. He has since helped source many items for Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period.’s collection, primarily through his clients, by encouraging them to donate their pieces to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative.
We at the Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. are always grateful to Mr Faisal Al Rayes for his help and contribution.
Object Features
This is a traditional head scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. (shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī).) for women popular amongst the Gulf Arab countries. A rectangular piece of black tulle or possibly silk, the piece is embellished with metal plates hammered to the fabric. It can be categorized as (shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī). naqdah Naqdah: (Arabic: coins, synonyms: mnaghadah, naghdah, mnaghadah) Since silver was a form of currency, it came to refer to silver adorned garments. The term refers to articles decorated with silver (tallī) straw (khūs) in small coin-like dots. The (qāf) is pronounced (gha) colloquially. / shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī). naghdah Naghdah: (Arabic: mnaqad: with coins, synonyms: mnaghadah, mnaghad, mnaghadah). Since silver was a form of currency, it came to refer to silver adorned garments. The term refers to articles decorated with silver (tallī) straw (khūs) in small coin-like dots. The (qāf) is pronounced (gha) colloquially.) because of the use of metal plates in its adornment.
A (selvedge Selvedge: (English: Self-finished edge or self-edge: a dialect forming transition), an edge produced on woven fabric during manufacture that prevents it from unravelling. Traditionally the term selvage applied to only loom woven fabric, presently it could be applied to flat knitted fabric too. ) to selvedge Selvedge: (English: Self-finished edge or self-edge: a dialect forming transition), an edge produced on woven fabric during manufacture that prevents it from unravelling. Traditionally the term selvage applied to only loom woven fabric, presently it could be applied to flat knitted fabric too. woven fabric, the field of the shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī). is heavily embellished on one of the (weft Weft: one of the two basic components used in weaving that transforms thread or yarns into a piece of fabric. It is the crosswise thread on a loom that is passed over and under the warp threads.) sides, while the other side is relatively simple. The embellished side features a border composed of two bands.
The bottom band is wider and is composed of two layers of rhombus repeats in a grid formation with a floral centre with two thin borders on top and bottom. The second layer is composed of a thin scalloped line with a (paisley Paisley: (Scottish Gaelic, Pàislig: a town in Scotland), often called buta, boteh, amli, or kalgi in the subcontinent and kazuwah in Arabic, is a Persian tear drop motif with a curved end specially in textiles. Its popularity and subsequent local production in 18th century at Paisley are responsible for its nomenclature.) at the centre of each scallop.
The field of the shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī). is adorned with dotted repeats in combination with a floral and foliage pattern. The pattern features a flower over a thin stem with flanking foliage and is sporadically repeated all over the field of the shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl, head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī). over a dotted ground.
The embellishment technique that traditionally used precious metals such as silver and sometimes gold could be deemed as the physical manifestation of the traditional Arabic idiom ‘zinah wa khazinah’, which roughly translates to ‘beauty and wealth together’, since the decorative element both enhances the beauty of the garment and stands testament to the status of the wearer.
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