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Machine embroidered tunic dress – UAE

Local Name	Kandurah_arabiyah mzarai manarasi khwar zari
Object Category	Tunic dress
Gender	Female
Date of object	Circa 1978-1980
Place Of orgin	United Arab Emirates
Region	Abu Dhabi
Object Range	United Arab Emirates
Dimensions	Length: 146 cm Width: 162 cm
Materials	Silk
Technique	Machine Embroidered Machine Stitched
Color
Motif	Floral Geometric
Provenance	Donated, in memory of Um Hilal, ‘Inayah bint Salih al Muhairi, Abu Dhabi 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	ZI2018.500220 UAE

Object History 
The owner of this tunic dress () was the late ‘Inayah bint Salih al Muhairi, the wife of the late Al Said Abdullah al , the director of private affairs for the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan.
The was made for her by a renowned tailor called Khalifah at the time, one of the first tailors to open in Dubai.
‘Inayah’s was known for reciting poetry but was also skilled in ( ), 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.

) and ( ), 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.

) making.
Growing up in the 1950s she became part of the entourage of the family of Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan al Nahyan’s daughter, Shaikhah Mozah. She then became a close confidant and part of the entourage of Shaikhah Fatimah bint Mubarak, wife of the founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan.
On ‘Inayah’s death in 2013, the was inherited by her niece and daughter-in-law, the Emirati poet Fatimah al . She donated the garment to the Collection in memory of ‘Inayah.
Fatimah attained a high school degree. She became wife to her maternal cousin, and mother to a son and daughter. She was one of the UAE female poets of the eighties, who began publishing her poems and literary writings under various pseudonyms, such as Abu Dhabi Nights,  Khaled Nights, Wanat Alam or Layali. However, in her most recent four publications in 2019 and 2020, she opted to use her full name.

Object Features 
This type of ankle-length, long-sleeved tunic dress (), is particular to the UAE. It sports a vertical slit () located on the left side of the neckline () that extends down the chest. Its origins are believed to lie in the Punjabi . Cut from silver and gold repetitive palm-size leaf motifs brocaded () on a royal purple Indian silk, locally known as ().
In this example, the neckline () and sleeve cuffs () are both machine embroidered (khwar_zari) in repetitive floral motifs of green, red and royal blue silk thread (), on a dense metallic gold background ().
The neckline and sleeves are fastened using metal snap-press studs (). At the time it was made, these metal studs were seen as a sign of modernity, trendiness, and social stature. On other similar garments, cotton thread buttons (’igam) were used. While in later examples, transparent plastic ones became the norm.

Machine embroidered tunic dress – UAE

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