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Embroidered undergarment with gilded thread - UAE

Local Name	Sarwal mkhawar
Object Category	Pants
Gender	Female
Date of object	1990
Place Of orgin	United Arab Emirates
Region	Dubai
Object Range	United Arab Emirates
Dimensions	Length : 105 cm Width : 76 cm
Materials	Cotton
Technique	Machine Embroidered Machine Stitched
Color
Motif	Floral
Provenance	Purchased, Mariam Sa’id, Dubai 1990
Location	The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative
Status	In storage
ZI number	ZI1990.500102 UAE

Object History 
This light weight cotton undergarment (, shirwāl), trousers featuring tapering ankles and drawstring closure of Central Asian origin. They disseminated in the Indian subcontinent between c.1st-3rd century BCE. Although exact period of its arrival in the Arab world is disputed their widespread adoption is confirmed from the 12th century.

) was gifted to on one of her field visits in Dubai in UAE compiling data for her Ph.D. research on the topic from the 1980s onwards. She met with Mariam Sa’id, at a women’s gathering. She was very enthusiastic about the subject matter and shed light on many details on the topic.
The two women struck a chord and Mariam Sa’id gifted this undergarment to Dr. Reem. In due course, it was added to The Collection.
Mariam Sa’id was a delightful woman in her early thirties, finishing her high school degree through the adult education program. She was married at the young age of 15 and gave birth to 6 daughters and 4 sons.
Due to the prevailing notions of modesty in Arab cultures, such an article of clothing is among the rarest to come by because of its age, and because it embodies a private and personal attire.

Object Features
This style of underpants (, shirwāl), trousers featuring tapering ankles and drawstring closure of Central Asian origin. They disseminated in the Indian subcontinent between c.1st-3rd century BCE. Although exact period of its arrival in the Arab world is disputed their widespread adoption is confirmed from the 12th century.

) with heavy, machine embroidered ankle-cuffs ( ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; tariq; badla; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment.

; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in India and parts of the subcontinent.

) became popular in the 1980s and 1990s as it provided a cheaper alternative to the hand-applied pure silver or metallic ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; tariq; badla; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment.

; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in India and parts of the subcontinent.

.
Made of white calico cotton with the decorative work reserved for the 28 cm long cuff. The raised work of the circular medallions is hand stitched, created by applying silver and black cords. The lines of floral and leaf motifs were completed by machine embroidery in gold ( ), silver and white metallic thread, and black silk thread ().
Opening and closing the garment is achieved with the aid of a zip. Earlier versions used traditional cotton thread ball buttons (igam) or more recent, but before zips, metal snaps ().
The garment features an elasticated white cord in place of the earlier cotton (nsaiah) to fasten the underpants at the waist.

Keywords:

Embroidered undergarment with gilded thread - UAE

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