1 of 7

Printed, metal embellished trousers – Iran

Local Name	Shalvar, Sarwal, Sirwal
Object Category	Pants
Gender	Female
Place Of orgin	Asia
Region	Southern Iran
Object Range	Iran, Pakistan, India, UAE, Kuwait, Yemen, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Iraq
Dimensions	Length: 98 cm Width: 30 cm
Materials	Cotton Metal
Technique	Hand Stitched Machine Embroidered Print
Color
Motif	Floral Geometric
Provenance	Purchased, Anonymous dealer, Iran 2018
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	ZI2018.500134 ASIA

Object Note
Purchased along with another five similar pieces in the collection (ZI2018.500133 ASIA, ZI2018.500796 ASIA, ZI2018.500797ASIA, ZI2018.500798 ASIA, and ZI2018.500799 ASIA).

Object History
This garment was acquired through an anonymous contact on social media – Instagram – platform. He was interested in Dr. Reem’s and The Initiative’s endeavour in the field and offered to help. Not much is known about the person as he never revealed his name or met with Dr. Reem except he often travels between Dubai, UAE, and the south of Iran. He purchased six samples of these trousers and had them delivered to Dr. Reem via her driver.
Dr. Reem and The Initiative would like to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the said stranger for his kind and charitable gesture.

Object Features 
This is a pair of ankle-length orange printed tapered cotton trousers (). With a loose gathered waistline, it has an elastic fastening.
Traditionally worn by women of Bandar Abbas and Hormozgan areas in south Iran. These are usually worn with a loose shift () of coloured cotton with a collar () and a rectangular black () made of thin silk or other sheer material by older women of the region.
The field is printed with repeats of two different floral motifs – a star-shaped flower and a long floral arrangement that looks like a bird in flight and a polka dot-sized circular ball motif in scarlet and reds, blue, white and black. This particular print is a modern, more affordable, printed version of an embroidered fabric used traditionally in the Arab Gulf region, especially the UAE where it is known colloquially by ().
The cuffs are embellished with thick metal foil ( ), 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.

), metal thread () and sequin embroidered borders and strips of woven woollen ribbons. The outermost edging is embellished with golden ), 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.

work on a woollen base, followed by a plain green woollen strip, followed by another ), 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.

strip in orange and silver over a red base.
The innermost strip is the widest with golden and silver ), 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.

work in geometric design on a base. The cuff ends with two layers of golden sequins embroidered with golden and silver metallic threads or which are further crocheted into scalloped edges embellished with red, blue and green plastic beads.
The cuffs have zip fastenings to loosen or tighten the trousers at the ankles according to the wearer’s convenience. The is otherwise unlined except for the cuffs which are lined with plain white cotton fabric. A white strip near the waist has an Arabic script and what looks like a colour code or Pantone shades for reference.
It is worth noting that the name ), 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.

for this type of embroidery is although the same across Iran and South Asia it is also sometimes commonly referred to as () in south Iran.
It is believed that the term ), 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.

is derived from the phrase ‘badal kinari’ – cloud lining – popular during the Mughal period in India as net or fine silk were often embroidered with metal pieces giving them the look of clouds with bright lines around them.
However, upon crossing the Gulf and reaching the Arabian Peninsula the nomenclature of the embroidery changes to ( ), 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.

), while the cuffs of women’s trousers which are detachable and could be changed are called ), 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.

.
These embellished broad-cuffed are not just unique to south Iran but are equally famous across the Gulf in the countries across the Arabian Peninsula such as Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, and Oman. The quality of craftsmanship on this is so refined that it looks almost commercially produced in a factory, while in reality they are made at home by women of the region.
With cross-cultural lineages running deep between the communities living on either side of the Gulf, it is thus no wonder, that material culture such as this has found firm grounds on both sides.

Links

https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/clothing-xxiii

https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr

https://iranparadise.com/irans-traditional-dress/

https://www.fantasticirantravel.com/iranian-ethnic-costumes/

https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/clothing-xxvii

https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr#COM-10187

https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/clothing-xxviii

https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/techniques/knotting-and-netting/badla

https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/individual-textiles-and-textile-types/daily-and-general-garments-and-textiles/

https://trc-leiden.nl/trc-needles/individual-textiles-and-textile-types/daily-and-general-garments-and-textiles/

Printed, metal embellished trousers – Iran

Related Products