Loin Cloth - UAE
Local Name | Wizar |
Object Category | Accessory Other |
Gender | Male Female |
Date of object | 1979 |
Place Of orgin | United Arab Emirates |
Region | Wadi al Qor, Ras al Khaimah |
Object Range | UAE, Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Yemen |
Dimensions | Length: 188 cm Width: 108 cm |
Materials | Cotton |
Technique | Woven |
Color | |
Motif | Geometric |
Provenance | Purchased, Mariam Khalfan Mohammed Khalifah al Maydi al Badwawi, Sharjah 2018 |
Location | Zeman Awwal, Mall of the Emirates |
Status | On Display |
ZI number | ZI2018.500443 UAE |
Object History
Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli
Dr. Reem Tariq el Mutwallī: Founder (CEO) of the Zay
Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, a public figure, speaker and author. An expert curator and consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic costume, and UAE heritage., The Zay
Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative founder was initially contacted on Instagram by Mariam Khalfan Mohammed Khalifah al Maydi al Badwawi, who offered to volunteer and help source old artifacts from the northern Emirates for the Zay
Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Collection. Mariam has been an invaluable addition to our team, as she connects easily with people and patiently explains our role, convincing others to help the cause. This (kandurah_arabiyah
Kandūrah_‘arabīyah: (colloquial Emirati term), coined post 1990s, to refer to the qamīs-like tunic with vertical slit located on the left side of the neckline extending down the chest. The origins of this slit are believed to lie in the Punjabi (kurta) and is generally fastened using cotton thread ball-like buttons ('igham), or metal snaps (siq_w_bic) which were subsequently replaced by transparent versions.ly replaced by transparent versions. khwar_zari) is one of her finds.
Mariam came across this article together with a few more from an elderly person by the name of Yousif Juma
Jūma: (Persian, Synonym: Jama), a mantle to cover the torso. Amongst the women in south of Iran specially from Hormozgan it is a loose shift tunic dress, however the connotation changes and is used to refer to a shirt dress by the women further north.’ Saeed al Ka’bi, who is in his late seventies and lives in a remote area in the valley of al Qor in Ras al Khaimah. He had forgotten them saved in an old trunk dating back to the time of his marriage in 1979 and The Zay
Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative was lucky to acquire the whole lot.
Object Features
This cotton loincloth (wizar
Wizār: (Arabic: wazr: shelter, synonyms: izār, wizrah, fūṭah), refers to a loincloth wrapped around the lower half of the body, between the navel and the knee. Known in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea), Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and countries in some parts of East Africa and in India.) also pronounced (wizrah
Wizrah: (Arabic: small garment, synonyms: izār, wizār, fūṭah), refers to a loincloth wrapped around the lower half of the body, between the navel and the knee. Known in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea), Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and countries in some parts of East Africa and in India.) is typically used by men in the UAE and surrounding Arab gulf region, to date, as an undergarment worn under the tunic (kandurah
Kandūrah: (Arabic: qandūrah, pl. kanādīr, synonyms: ghandurah
Ghandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: qandurah, darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences., qandurah
Qandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: ghandurah
Ghandūrah: (Arabic, pl. qanādīr, synonyms: qandurah, darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences., darā’ah, dishdāshah, jalābah, jallābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe
Tobe: (Arabic: thawb, Pl. Athwāb/thībān), can be pronounced thawb or thobe based on locale. The standard Arabic word for ‘fabric’ or ‘garment’. It can refer to a qamīs-like tunic worn by men and women in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the southern and south-western ports and islands of Iran, and some countries in East and West Africa. More specifically, it can refer to the square-shaped Bedouin overgarment worn by women. ), a loose, short or long-sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences. , dra’ah, dishdāshah, jallābīyah, jalābah, jillābīyah, qaftan, mqta’, thawb or tobe
Tobe: (Arabic: thawb, Pl. Athwāb/thībān), can be pronounced thawb or thobe based on locale. The standard Arabic word for ‘fabric’ or ‘garment’. It can refer to a qamīs-like tunic worn by men and women in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the southern and south-western ports and islands of Iran, and some countries in East and West Africa. More specifically, it can refer to the square-shaped Bedouin overgarment worn by women. ) loose, short or long sleeved, shirt like (qamis) tunic with frontal neckline opening, worn by both sexes. Each Arab region has a different term for what is essentially a similar garment with various small differences.), or worn together with a cotton shirt top in informal settings and around the home or when engaged in laborious tasks.
Basically, a rectangle-shaped white or chequered loin cloth (wizar
Wizār: (Arabic: wazr: shelter, synonyms: izār, wizrah, fūṭah), refers to a loincloth wrapped around the lower half of the body, between the navel and the knee. Known in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Somaliland, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Eritrea), Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and countries in some parts of East Africa and in India.), can come in different colour combinations, this being blue, red, and white. Customary made from imported Indian cotton woven on a pit loom. At times it is composed of two cloths stitched along the lengths, with a border and tassels on the ends which is not the case here.
Worn wrapped around the body to cover the body from the hips to the ankles, and simply fixed in place by tucking the end top corner on to the waist. Belts can be used to help anchor it in place and after the 1980s ready wrapped with an elasticated waist, versions became popular, especially for male children to wear almost as trainers until they learn how to navigate wearing the article.