Embroidered undergarment – henna set – UAE

Object Note
This undergarment (sarwal

Ṣarwāl: (Farsi: shalvār; Synonym: salwar

Salwar: (Farsi: shalvār; Synonym: ṣarwāl, 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.

, 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.

) is part of a three-piece ensemble, a combination overgarment tunic (thawb_kandurah Thawb_kandūrah: (colloquial, UAE), post-1990s the (Thawb_wa_kandūrah) ensemble of the eighties evolved where the overgarment (thawb) and tunic (kandūrah) became united at the neckline creating one outfit and inner tunic receding to act as lining.) (ZI2018.50082 UAE) and veil (shaylah Shaylah: (Colloquial Gulf Arabic), a length of fabric used as shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool. , head cover or veil. Also known as (wigāyah) or (milfa Milfa’: (Arabic: to cover), shawl Shawl: (Persian: shāl from Hindi: duśālā – Shoulder Mantle), a shawl is a South Asian version of a scarf Scarf: (English), usually a rectangular piece of cloth loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. worn or wrapped loosely over the shoulders and is usually made of wool.  or veil worn by women in the Arab Gulf regions and some areas of the Levant to cover the head.’), generally made from sheer fabrics such as tulle (tūr), cotton gauze (wasmah Wasmah: (Arabic: woad), is derived from the woad herb (wasmah) used to dye the cotton gauze black. It is mainly used for headcovers or veils and overgarments in most of the Arab gulf region.) (nidwah) or (Nīl), or silk chiffon (sarī).) (ZI2018.50082a UAE).
 
Object History 
The complete hinnah ḥinnah: (Arabic: ḥinnāʾ), an Asian or African plant, the leaves are dried and made into a paste used to dye the hair and decorate parts of the body. (https://thezay.org/henna/) ceremony outfit was worn by Sheikhah Mariam bint Said bin Tahnoun Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi on her  hinnah ḥinnah: (Arabic: ḥinnāʾ), an Asian or African plant, the leaves are dried and made into a paste used to dye the hair and decorate parts of the body. (https://thezay.org/henna/) night (laylat_al_hinnah Laylat_Al_ḥinnah: (Arabic: laylat: night, ḥinnah: henna), a ceremonial ritual celebrated among family and close friends, carried out in the days before bride's wedding night. The hands and feet are decorated using henna paste as an integral part of the ceremony.) before her marriage to Sheikh Marwan bin Rashid Al Mualla of Umm al Quwain in 2010. It has only been worn on this one occasion. The outfit was designed, commissioned, and presented to Sheikha Mariam by her aunt Sheikhah Moza bint Hamdan al Nahyan.
Dr. Reem Tariq el Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq el Mutwallī: Founder (CEO) of the Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, a public figure, speaker and author. An expert curator and consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic costume, and UAE heritage. has known Sheikhah Mariam from birth, as she is a childhood friend of her mother Sheikha Fakhira bint Mubarak al Nahyan. We are fortunate to have a few of the young Sheikha’s gowns from her youth in The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. collection.
 
Object Features 
Before the advent of oil wealth in the Gulf region, an Emirati  hinnah ḥinnah: (Arabic: ḥinnāʾ), an Asian or African plant, the leaves are dried and made into a paste used to dye the hair and decorate parts of the body. (https://thezay.org/henna/)  night called laylat_al_hinnah Laylat_Al_ḥinnah: (Arabic: laylat: night, ḥinnah: henna), a ceremonial ritual celebrated among family and close friends, carried out in the days before bride's wedding night. The hands and feet are decorated using henna paste as an integral part of the ceremony. had traditionally been a modest affair, attended mainly by close friends and family. The increase in wealth and the subsequent rise in social competitiveness, along with the use of the colour green for hinnah ḥinnah: (Arabic: ḥinnāʾ), an Asian or African plant, the leaves are dried and made into a paste used to dye the hair and decorate parts of the body. (https://thezay.org/henna/) ceremony clothes, appeared in the UAE from the 1980s imported from neighbouring countries. Not only did these new traditions lead to greater pageantry and displays of opulence, with music, food and singing, but the number of attendees increased to include at times hundreds of people, now including more distant relatives and a wider circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances. The clothes that concealed the bride while sitting on a small raised stage, became the centrepiece of this desire to display as manifested in the pieces from this ensemble.
The entire hinnah ḥinnah: (Arabic: ḥinnāʾ), an Asian or African plant, the leaves are dried and made into a paste used to dye the hair and decorate parts of the body. (https://thezay.org/henna/) night ensemble is a reflection of the amalgamation of old and new, local and imported customs. While honouring the tradition of hiding the bride, more elaborate approaches were devised to highlight her during the ceremony.
The undergarment is a testament to the sophisticated craftsmanship reached locally, when compared to work from the past century.
The cuff embellishments are now elaborate, and match the rest of the ensemble. The floral motifs are hand embroidered (shak Shak: (Arabic: to prick with a needle), Colloquially in the Arab gulf region it refers to the art of hand embellishing garments with beads.) in gold and crystal multi-shaped glass beads and sequins (folak Folak: ( Persian: polk), arabised, refers to sequins used to decorate clothes. Also known as (tirtir).) on to an emerald green mesh or tulle (tur Tūr: (Arabised from French: tulle), refers to a net-like soft, fine silk, cotton, or nylon material, used for making veils and dresses. In colloquial Arabic the letter (L) is turned into (ra). ) fabric. This is then cut to shape and the tulle is applied to key sections of the garment, as evident on theses ankle cuffs (badlah Bādlah: (Hindi: badla, pl. bawādil), metallic thread adornment. Colloquially in the UAE, it refers to the embellished pant cuffs, also be pronounced (bedlah) from the verb to change, due to its value it was recycled from one garment to the other.).
The baggy waistline is gathered and fixed in place with elasticated band replacing earlier more traditional cotton cord (nsai’ah Nsai’ah: (Arabic: diminutive of nis’ah: belt). A woven cotton or wool spun flat cord, used to gather and fasten underpants on to the waist. Also used to denote any chevron motif.). The more tapered legs with embroidered ankle-cuffs are opened and closed with the aid of a zipper. Earlier versions used traditional cotton thread ball buttons (igam) and more recent, metal snap studs (siq_w_biq Siq_w_biq: (Colloquial Arabic), metallic snap studs used to fasten clothing. The term in an onomatopoeia representing the sound that the snaps make when opening and snapping shut.).