Printed silk robe – Iraq

Object Features  

This is a woman’s printed (georgette Georgette: (French: Georgette de la Plante – a famous dressmaker), a lightweight, sheer fabric with a dull crimpled surface. It is usually made of silk but can also be made of synthetic fibers. Georgette was first introduced in the early 20th century and was named after the French dressmaker. ) silk front open robe (sayah

Ṣāyah: (Classical Persian: sāya – shadow; Synonyms: zubūn, qumbāz, gombaz

Gombaz: (Arabic; Synonyms: sayah, zubūn, qumbāz, yalak

Yalak: (Ottoman Turkic: yelek – a hip or waist length vest; from Old Anatolian: yélek – Vest), a short-sleeved waistcoat traditionally worn by men and a long outer robe or tight jacket either sleeveless or short sleeved with a tight bodice traditionally worn by women in the Ottoman controlled Levant.

),  also pronounced ‘umbaz or ‘imbaz is a long front open, unlined, lightweight silk traditional cloak either with quarter or no sleeves fastened at the waist often worn by both men and women in the Levant, Fertile Crescent, and Najd regions. 

, yalak

Yalak: (Ottoman Turkic: yelek – a hip or waist length vest; from Old Anatolian: yélek – Vest), a short-sleeved waistcoat traditionally worn by men and a long outer robe or tight jacket either sleeveless or short sleeved with a tight bodice traditionally worn by women in the Ottoman controlled Levant.

), long front open, unlined, lightweight silk traditional cloak with quarter or no sleeves fastened at the waist often worn by men and women in the Levant, Fertile Crescent, and Najd regions.

). It features loose half sleeves and side slits. The sayah

Ṣāyah: (Classical Persian: sāya – shadow; Synonyms: zubūn, qumbāz, gombaz

Gombaz: (Arabic; Synonyms: sayah, zubūn, qumbāz, yalak

Yalak: (Ottoman Turkic: yelek – a hip or waist length vest; from Old Anatolian: yélek – Vest), a short-sleeved waistcoat traditionally worn by men and a long outer robe or tight jacket either sleeveless or short sleeved with a tight bodice traditionally worn by women in the Ottoman controlled Levant.

),  also pronounced ‘umbaz or ‘imbaz is a long front open, unlined, lightweight silk traditional cloak either with quarter or no sleeves fastened at the waist often worn by both men and women in the Levant, Fertile Crescent, and Najd regions. 

, yalak

Yalak: (Ottoman Turkic: yelek – a hip or waist length vest; from Old Anatolian: yélek – Vest), a short-sleeved waistcoat traditionally worn by men and a long outer robe or tight jacket either sleeveless or short sleeved with a tight bodice traditionally worn by women in the Ottoman controlled Levant.

), long front open, unlined, lightweight silk traditional cloak with quarter or no sleeves fastened at the waist often worn by men and women in the Levant, Fertile Crescent, and Najd regions.

displays a dense repeat of polka dots, a much loved and popular period pattern, in ivory over a black background. 

It has a thick western-style collar spanning half the neck only and displays large slits on the sides. The piece has no fastening or lining and is completely machine-stitched.  

Iraq, located south of Türkiye, was a significant Arab territory under the rule of the Ottoman Empire for approximately four centuries. In the northern province of Mosul, which was then under Ottoman rule, the prevalent modes of dress were heavily influenced by the fashion trends originating in Istanbul. 

By the 1930s, Baghdad's elites and other urban Christian and Jewish communities had fully transitioned from Ottoman attire to European-style clothing. However, among the urban Muslim elites and middle classes, the shift towards Westernised clothing occurred more gradually, the vestiges of which are seen through pieces like these which are essentially from a decade or two later. 

Links 

• Zieme, Peter. Silk and Wad in Old Turkish Terminology. - Turkdilleri.Org, www.turkdilleri.org/turkdilleri/sayilar/tda7/PZieme.pdf 
• Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.  
• Stillman, Yedida Kalfon, and Norman A. Stillman. Arab Dress: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times. Brill, 2003.  
• Scarce, Jennifer. Womens Costume of the near and the Middle East. RoutledgeCurzon, 2003.  
• Rubens, Alfred. A History of Jewish Costume. 1981.