Embroidered silk veil - UAE

Object History   

This light silk chiffon (safwah Ṣafwah: (Arabic: crème de la crème, or the best). Colloquially in the Arab gulf region it refers to high quality sheer, transparent chiffon silk.) head veil (shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool. , head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa Milfa’: (Arabic: to cover), shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool.  or veil worn by women in the Arab Gulf regions and some areas of the Levant to cover the head.’), 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).) was first gifted by Moza Dhyab al Muhayri to Dr. Reem Tariq el Mutwalli. The two ladies met at one of Dr. Reem’s regular visits to the palace of Sheikhah Hamda bint Mohammed al Nahyan, maternal aunt to the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as she was compiling data for her Ph.D. research on this topic as early as the 1980s. Sheikhah Hamda was instrumental in allowing Dr. Reem to meet with her entourage and visiting guests at her daily open reception (majlis) be it in Abu Dhabi or Al Ain. It was there that she met Moza and possibly discussed the topic at hand. A few days later Moza sent this article as a gift to add to the research collection which eventually became part of the (Sultani Sulṭānī: (Arabic: sultān: king). In the UAE the term denotes to silk satin fabric in multiple vertical striped colours, commonly used for tunics (kanadir) and underpants (sarāwīl). Also refers to book: Sultani, Traditions Renewed, Changes in women’s traditional dress In the United Arab Emirates during the reign of the late Shaykh Zāyid Bin Sultan āl Nahyān, 1966-2004, By Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli (2011).) Collection covering the UAE section of The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Collection. 

Moza Dhyab al Muhayri, born in the early 1950s, is a high school graduate and held a clerical job within the ministry of education in Al Ain city where she was born and grew up. She married her paternal cousin at the age of 16 and bore three daughters and two sons. 
 
Object Features   
This style of light silk chiffon (safwah Ṣafwah: (Arabic: crème de la crème, or the best). Colloquially in the Arab gulf region it refers to high quality sheer, transparent chiffon silk.) rectangular veil (shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool. , head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa Milfa’: (Arabic: to cover), shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool.  or veil worn by women in the Arab Gulf regions and some areas of the Levant to cover the head.’), 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).) was considered to be the latest trend of its time. It is simply a cut length of fabric, creating one width (fajah fajah: (Arabic: Fujah: gap between two mountains), denotes a single length of fabric.) of soft malleable silk. It is machine embroidered using metallic gold thread (zari Zarī: (Persian two-syllables: zar: gold & dozi: embellishment), complex embroidery technique that uses metal alloy on silk, satin, or velvet, and may include pearls, beads, and precious stones. Colloquially in the Arab gulf region, the term (zarī) is loosely applied to any gilded thread, embellishment or gilded brocade fabric. Originated in ancient Persia it has been used extensively in Indian and Middle Eastern textiles for centuries. ) in a running zigzag tooth-like motif on one side of its longer edges so as to frame the wearers face and its draping frontal portions. It is further adorned by semi-sparkling small iron-on crystals (fsus Fṣūṣ: (Arabic, sing. fuṣ), meaning a crystal or a bead used in embellishment or jewellery. ), predecessors of the more brilliant and expensive Swarovski crystals used post-1990, scattered sporadically but uniformly across the whole fabric.
This type of veil was reserved for special locations and social gatherings and it was worn together with a cloak (abayah  ‘Abāyah: (Arabic: cloak, Pl. ‘abāyāt, or ‘Ibī. In Classical Arabic: ‘abā’ah, pl: ‘abā’āt, synonyms: ‘Abā, ‘abāh, ‘abāt, dafah Daffah : (Arabic: side, synonyms: ‘Abā, ‘abāyah, ‘abāh, ‘abāt, bisht or mishlaḥ), long, wide, and sleeveless outer cloak worn in public by both sexes. In time this article of dress evolved and changed in shape, style, and function., bisht, or mishlaḥ), long, wide, and sleeveless outer cloak worn in public by both sexes. In time this article of dress evolved and changed in shape, style, and function.) to cover just the head, shoulders, and upper portion of the body. It is generally draped off the head, gathered on each side, and tucked in place at the elbow junctures similar to draping a shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool. .