Object History
This simple yet colourful robe or (yatak) was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli from one of the antique stores in the Islamic market suq, known more recently as the Blue Souk, at the emirate of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in 1995. It was eventually added to The Zay Initiative to enhance its collection.
Object Features
This is a colourful non quilted or yatak style Central Asian robe or (khalat) probably constructed of synthetic silk. The front collar lapels have quilted stitch running parallel creating a simple decorative pattern. The field of the yatak is decorated with simple vertical parallel running stripes in shades of blue, green, yellow, and brown.
The underside of the front left side flap of the yatak has a pocket and it has small slits on either side for ease of movement for the wearer. It has a simple black satin lining.
A Central Asian robe or khalat like this is very common around the old Silk Road. It travelled through India and Iran to the Middle East and through Ottoman Turkey as far as Russia and Romania. In medieval times richly decorated robes or khalat were given as honorific gifts in India a tradition that was borrowed and continued by the British through the Colonial times when ‘khilat’ a derivative of khalat was used as any gift of money or goods bestowed by the British East India Company.
Thus, it is fascinating how the connotation of a word that was originally loaned from the Arabic word khil’ah meaning honorary robes changed in Central Asia and referred to any robes. However, when the Central Asian loan word khalat reached South Asia its connotation changed back to the meaning of the original Arabic word.
Similarly, the word has been borrowed in modern Russian to mean any robe, while in Romania a derivative ‘halat’ is used for garments such as smocks, bathrobes, and dressing gowns.
Additionally, the Yiddish and the Ashkenazi Jewish community use another derivative ‘khlat’ that refers to loose long coats with (shawl) collars. It is also worth noting that these Central Asian long loose robes were often made of or had lining in silk (ikat) fabric also known as (adras) or (atlas) in Central Asian and Uyghur Turkic respectively is sometimes classified as cloud or (abr) in Tajik as the patterns are reminiscent of the iridescent reflection of clouds on the water.
Usually, silk was cultivated by every household in Central Asia, however, the silk yarn dyeing industry was primarily dominated by the Jewish community of Central Asia.
More Info
Central Asian ikat is traditionally (warp) ikat which means they have silk warps with intricate patterns held together by cotton (weft). These ikats were made in established locations and required the contribution of at least 13 specialised craftspeople.
Among them were designers or pattern makers, who drew patterns on the warps, makers of hot and cold dyes, expert resist dyers, loom builders, workers who arranged and adjusted the warps on the loom, and weavers who created the final material.
The fact that these crafts were often organised into guilds and comprised of diverse ethnic groups meant that completing a single ikat fabric was a remarkable feat of occupational and ethnic cooperation.
Amongst the Uyghurs (atlas) or ikat was used exclusively for women’s clothing.
Historically, there were twenty-seven types of atlas during the Qing Chinese occupation, out of which only four varieties exist today. These include the black ikat – qara-atlas – reserved for older women; the yellow, blue, or purple ikat – khoja’e-atlas – worn by married women; red ikat – qizil-atlas – for young girls; and the royal ikat – Yarkent-atlas – which was developed during the Yarkent Khanate – 1514-1705 – and displays a wide range and styles.
The Uyghur word ‘atlas’ and its Central Asian synonym ‘adras’ is probably a direct loan from either the Greek Atlas or Arabic ‘(atlas)’ which means silk in Arabic, because traditional ikat fabric in Central Asia was made of silk fibre.
Opinion is split on the origin of the Arabic term. While one group believes that it comes from the Aramaic word with the same pronunciation which means dusty or black, another suggests that it was a derivative of the Greek Atlas a name given to the biggest moth – Attacus Atlas – in the world’s native to China, India, Malaysia, and Indonesia that also happens to produce the finest quality silk.
It is only fitting that one of the biggest moths in the world shares a name with Atlas, the Titan god of Greek mythology cursed to hold up the heavens for eternity and synonymous with endurance. However, scientists have long speculated that it could have been given its name because of the patterns on its wings, which also look like a paper map.
Links
- Valérie Bérinstain, Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, Zaira Mis, Marcel Mis. Asian Costumes and Textiles from the Bosphorus to Fujiyama: The Zaira and Marcel Mis Collection. California: Skira, 2001.
- Suleman, Fahmida. Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia (British Museum) The Fabric of Life. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017.
- Embroidery from Afghanistan Fabric, folios. Sheila Paine. Washington: University of Washington Press, 2006.
- Sukhareva, Olʹga Aleksandrovna. Suzani: Central Asian Decorative Embroidery. Samarkand: SMI Asia, 2013.
- https://rjohnhowe.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/christine-brown-on-uzbek-clothing-part-1-the-lecture/
- https://rjohnhowe.wordpress.com/2009/03/25/christine-brown-on-uzbek-clothing-part-2-material-in-the-room/
- https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000130205
- https://asiasociety.org/central-asia-political-history-19th-century-present
- https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr#COM-10186
- https://www.internationalwardrobe.com/lexicon-2/der-mantelchapan-in-usbekistan-2/
- https://www.internationalwardrobe.com/lexicon-2/der-mantelchapan-in-usbekistan-2/
- https://www.textile-forum-blog.org/2023/01/on-the-roads-of-samarkand-wonders-of-silk-and-gold/
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