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Object History
This veil (shaylah) was purchased on the understanding that the seller would remain anonymous. This is to be expected with such an intimate garment, due to the prevailing notions of modesty in Arab cultures. The owner’s reserve (hishim) means that we cannot provide the personal history for this object.
Object Features
This veil (shaylah) is an example of a heavily adorned, yet more affordable veils that began to appear in the early 1980s. They were made in imitation of the expensive, pure silver straw adorned ones, that ceased to be produced after the 1970s. It is made of black netting.
Although these gilded or silver tinsel imitation head veils were a popular mass-market product for a decade, they are now quite hard to find. Today they are worn mainly by the elderly, or placed in a bride’s trousseau. As a result, they have become collectible in their own right.
This veil takes its name from the metallic silver coloured tinsel straw (khus) when applied in spotted form resembling coins (mnaghad). Here border design runs along one of the longer edges of the veil, framing the wearer’s face when the article is worn. It consists of a row of evenly spaced dots (mnaghad). The remaining fabric is then embellished with the same dots (mnaghad) in star-shaped designs scattered cross the fabric and interspersed with evenly spaced pinprick dots.
The long edges of the veil are finished with selvages and the shorter cut edges are unfinished.
This type of veil is generally draped off the head covering the upper body from the back, it is then gathered and tucked on each fore arm to firmly frame the face with the shimmeringly slivery adornment. If worn by a bride on her wedding night it is pulled down the forehead covering revealing just silhouette of her face to the gazing female guests.
Keywords: mnaghadah, khusah
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