Object History
In 2018, Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli went to Bahrain to visit the shops of Muhammad Saleh Ahmad Zari in the Manama old market but discovered that the stores had been moved to a new mall. She spent a whole day talking to the manager, PK, who had arrived from India to Bahrain as a teenager in the 1980s. He had joined Zari’s business working on the shop floor in the old market and worked his way up to become the manager of Zari’s new stores.
During their conversation, Dr. Reem told PK that the purpose of her visit was to acquire historical clothing made by the Zari family. PK told her that all he had were two discarded old boxes and he would be happy if she accepted some of them as a gift.
Dr. Reem found this overgarment (thawb nashil) in one of the boxes in addition to two other dresses. The second box contained an old mould for gold, coin-like garment decorations called (hruf), and a black and white photo of the deceased Muhammad Saleh Zari.
PK also presented Dr. Reem with paper rolls containing straws of pure silver (talli), still wrapped with strings and sealed with red wax, bearing the product details and the name of the manufacturer from the French city of Lyon. Originally the silver straw talli was weighed in (tulah) and imported from Gujarat India, in time, the French type became more favoured due to its higher quality.
Muhammad Saleh Ahmad Zari is considered one of the oldest and most famous thawb nashil makers in Bahrain. After sewing the dress and embroidering it with zari threads by hand, he knocked and burnished the embroidery until it became polished, smooth and shining.
Ultimately, this particular overgarment (thawb nashil) was purchased and added to The Zay Collection.
Object Features
This translucent, red, silk chiffon overgarment thawb nashil sewn in traditional T-shape, with side gussets (bat), of the same fabric, separating the upper and lower sleeve panels, is elegantly machine embroidered in a simple chain stitch of gold-plated silver thread (zari fadhah).
A wide band of arabesque embroidery pattern simply delineates the neckline opening and the outer hemline of sleeves, leaving the remaining areas devoid of any ornament.
Worn customarily over underpants (sirwal) and a tunic dress (dara’ah) at special social occasions, this garment thawb nashil (zari fadhah) represents a physical example of the traditional Arabic saying (zinah_wa_khazinah) meaning, ‘beauty and wealth in one’. The silver used in decorating is designed to demonstrate style and reflect social standing but could also be melted down and sold in times of need.
More details
Thawb nashil is a popular traditional dress across the Arab Gulf region. Known to have been manufactured in Bahrain as early as the 1940s, before then, it was imported from India on demand.
Materials such as chiffon silk and silver gilded straw (khus zari) were first imported from Gujarat, India, to be sewn and embroidered locally in Bahrain. Finer versions later came from Europe, mainly, from Germany and France.
The name of the dress is borrowed from the word (mnshal), used to describe brightly colored and heavily adorned fabrics that cover ceremonial passenger-less litter (mahmal) which were carried by camel, among pilgrim caravans, to Mecca on their way to (Haj). (Mnshal) was also used on the compartment (hwdaj) that transported women on camel back draped in a tent form with exquisite textiles.
Historically, the bride would wear this robe in Bahrain and most other Arab Gulf regions on her henna or wedding night.
Thawb nashil is customerly, sewn in T-shape, and the fabric is cut in the form of longitudinal and cross sections. The neck opening be it circular, triangular, or square can have a front slit reaching the middle or end of the chest area, and along this slit, ball buttons made of zari are added at times with loops to fasten it.
Large oval-shaped necklines, be it plain or embellished, are characteristic of the early 1920s-1970s overgarments (athwab) worn in Iraq, Kuwait, and by the Bedouins of the levant as well as Egyptian peasants. Bahraini overgarments (athwab) are recognised by their fitted round neckline with a central slit that soon became widely imported by most of the Arab Gulf region from as early as the 1980s. While in the UAE, overgarments (athwab) are distinguished by their square-shaped neckline.
The embroidery is carried out before the neckline opening is cut open, for added support during the embroidery process and to show the garment is new. This is significant to note as embroidery is commonly reused.
Muhammad Saleh Ahmad Zari is considered one of the oldest and most famous thawb nashil makers in Bahrain. He follows in the footsteps of his forefathers Saleh Zari and Mohammed Adul Qadir Zari. After sewing dresses and embroidering them with zari threads by hand, they all typically knocked and burnished the embroidery until it became polished, smooth, and shining.
In time, the sewing of this dress evolved becoming machine sewn and embroidered from several colors of natural or synthetic chiffon silk. Moreover, metallic thread (zari) rather than silver or gold plated coil renderings were incorporated, making it more affordable to the masses.
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