Animal hair and wool head band – Syria

Object Note  

Part of a lot with five other items (ZI2021.500964 SYRIA, ZI2021.500964a SYRIA, ZI2021.500964b SYRIA, ZI2021.500964c SYRIA, and ZI2021.500964d SYRIA) also in the collection. 

Object History 

This piece was donated to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative by Ms Raeda Daboul in UAE 2021, to enhance the collection. 

Ms Daboul commenced her journey with Gulf Media as a student at Damascus University. With a bachelor's degree in journalism and media, she relocated to the UAE and specialized in Emirati and Gulf cultural, historical, and social aspects. Her passion for the Arabic language propelled her into the world of books, engaging in both authoring and editing. Additionally, Ms Daboul served as a media coordinator for numerous media programs and activities. Currently settled in Vancouver, Canada she is also a regular contributor to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative’s cause. 

Object Features  

This is a men’s headband (‘Igal)possibly composed of animal hair base, most likely camel’s and tightly wrapped in a braided woollen ribbon of different thicknesses.  

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

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.

evolved into a practical accessory designed to secure the triangular folded square kerchief protecting it from inclement weather on the wearer's head. 

Traditionally, 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.

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 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.

has remained remarkably consistent across generations, as evidenced by visual sources like paintings and photographs. 

The concept of the modern-day 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.

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

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.

, 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.

, 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.

, 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, mqassab

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

, 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.

, 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.

), 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 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.

. 

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.