Embroidered bridal tunic dress - Egypt

Object Note
This tunic dress is accompanied by two coloured braids (Kutan Kūṭan: (Siwi Amazigh), braids used to decorate the Siwan bride’s hair, made of colourful silk threads with red as the most prominent colour. Embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, sequins, charms, and horseshoes, the braids add an elegant appearance to the bride, bring her good luck, and support her desire to have children.) (ZI2019.500491a EGYPT). However, the full outfit would traditionally include the head veil (turqa‘at Ṭurqa‘āt: (Siwi Amazigh), head cover (ṭarḥah) originally made of striped silk, worn by Siwan bride in Egypt on the third day of wedding celebrations along with the white wedding tunic dress (ashirāḥ_lāmilāl).) and underpants (khawatim Khawātim: (Pl. of khātim: Arabic: to end), refers to white cotton underpants that are tight at the ankles. The name refers to the three-square colourful silk motif (khātim) embroidered on the lower part of the underpants. It is worn by Siwan women in Egypt under dresses and tied at the waist by an embroidered band (takkat).), shoes (zrabin Zrābīn: (Arabic: zarab: to cage), traditional shoes worn by Siwan bride, made of soft red goatskin, and colourfully embroidered in the shape of small triangles.) and silver jewellery to complete it.
 
Object History 
This Siwan tunic dress (ashirah_lamilal Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl: (Siwi Amazigh: white dress), refers to a white garment adorned with colourful silk threads, shells, and buttons made of nacre or mother-of-pearl (tutin_tfukt Tūtīn_tfūkt: (Siwi Amazigh: the eye of the sun), refers to the buttons made of nacre (the mother-of-pearl buttons), used to decorate wedding dresses in Siwa Oasis, where mother-of-pearl is a form of talisman that attracts sunlight and reflects energy to its wearer.). Worn by brides in Siwa, Egypt on the third day of the wedding celebration.) was originally part of Mrs. Sheila Paine’s collection. It was then purchased from Kerry Taylor’s auction to be added to The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection.
Sheila Paine is a collector of textiles acquired during her travels; author of several books, including 'Chikan embroidery: the floral whitework of India' (Aylesbury 1989), 'Embroidered Textiles: traditional patterns from five continents with a worldwide guide to identification (London 1989), 'The Afghan Amulet: travels from the Hindu Kush to Razgrad' (London 1994), 'Amulets: a world of secret powers, charms and magic' (London 2004). The British Museum acquired a number of items from her collection when they were sold through public auction at Dreweatts (q.v.) in April and November 2008.
 
Object Features 
This bridal tunic dress (ashirah_lamilal Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl: (Siwi Amazigh: white dress), refers to a white garment adorned with colourful silk threads, shells, and buttons made of nacre or mother-of-pearl (tutin_tfukt Tūtīn_tfūkt: (Siwi Amazigh: the eye of the sun), refers to the buttons made of nacre (the mother-of-pearl buttons), used to decorate wedding dresses in Siwa Oasis, where mother-of-pearl is a form of talisman that attracts sunlight and reflects energy to its wearer.). Worn by brides in Siwa, Egypt on the third day of the wedding celebration.) is from Siwa, an oasis in the Western Desert of Egypt, close to the Libyan north-eastern border inhabited by Amazigh. Until the turn of the century, Siwa was one of the most isolated places in Egypt, creating a unique culture throughout the centuries.
Made from white rayon Rayon: a semi-synthetic fabric made from cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp. It was first produced in the late 19th century as an alternative to silk. Rayon became popular due to its softness, drapability, and affordability, and it is used in a wide range of clothing and home decor applications.  fabric with ready-made floral satin Sātin: (Arabic: Zaytuni: from Chinese port of Zayton in Quanzhou province where it was exported from and acquired by Arab merchants), one of the three basic types of woven fabric with a glossy top surface and a dull back. Originated in China and was fundamentally woven in silk. stitch, the tunic dress (ashirah_lamilal Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl: (Siwi Amazigh: white dress), refers to a white garment adorned with colourful silk threads, shells, and buttons made of nacre or mother-of-pearl (tutin_tfukt Tūtīn_tfūkt: (Siwi Amazigh: the eye of the sun), refers to the buttons made of nacre (the mother-of-pearl buttons), used to decorate wedding dresses in Siwa Oasis, where mother-of-pearl is a form of talisman that attracts sunlight and reflects energy to its wearer.). Worn by brides in Siwa, Egypt on the third day of the wedding celebration.) takes the form of a large ‘T’ shape. It is extremely wide and bears little relation to the wearer’s dimensions. The neckline is rounded, extends to above the navel, and fastened with metal buttons. The bodice Bodice: (English: body), or bodices the plural form of body, it is the close-fitting garment meant to cover the body above the waist or the torso. However, it was not until the 17th century that the term became synonymous to women’s undergarment.  (tidi Tidī: (Siwan Amazigh), refers to the bodice Bodice: (English: body), or bodices the plural form of body, it is the close-fitting garment meant to cover the body above the waist or the torso. However, it was not until the 17th century that the term became synonymous to women’s undergarment.  in Siwan women's dress.) is lined with white cotton in areas that support embroidery work. The long wide sleeves (amfus Amfūs: (Siwan Amazigh), refers to the sleeves in Siwan women's dress.) are made by stitching together two different sized fabrics. The sides (lijnab Lijnāb: (Siwan Amazigh), refers to the sides in Siwan women's dress.) are composed of four longitudinal strips of black chiffon stretching from the waistline to the bottom attached to two rectangular white rayon Rayon: a semi-synthetic fabric made from cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp. It was first produced in the late 19th century as an alternative to silk. Rayon became popular due to its softness, drapability, and affordability, and it is used in a wide range of clothing and home decor applications.  panels. The front side is shorter than the back, reaching mid-calf only.
The tunic dress (ashirah_lamilal Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl: (Siwi Amazigh: white dress), refers to a white garment adorned with colourful silk threads, shells, and buttons made of nacre or mother-of-pearl (tutin_tfukt Tūtīn_tfūkt: (Siwi Amazigh: the eye of the sun), refers to the buttons made of nacre (the mother-of-pearl buttons), used to decorate wedding dresses in Siwa Oasis, where mother-of-pearl is a form of talisman that attracts sunlight and reflects energy to its wearer.). Worn by brides in Siwa, Egypt on the third day of the wedding celebration.) is heavily hand embroidered with threads of traditional Siwan colours in red, orange, yellow, green, and dark brown. Such colours generally mirror the colours of dates in various stages of ripeness. The embroidery yarns used to be silk, but by the late twentieth-century  rayon Rayon: a semi-synthetic fabric made from cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp. It was first produced in the late 19th century as an alternative to silk. Rayon became popular due to its softness, drapability, and affordability, and it is used in a wide range of clothing and home decor applications. , perlé cotton, and cotton threads were widely available and used. Seven colourful square motifs (khatim Khātim: (Arabic: to end), refers to the embroidered square motif divided into four quadrants, found in Siwan bridal dress. It is believed to protect the bride from the evil eye, the sharp corners of triangles forming a defensive function.) are embroidered around the neck opening, each divided into four quadrants. This motif (khatim Khātim: (Arabic: to end), refers to the embroidered square motif divided into four quadrants, found in Siwan bridal dress. It is believed to protect the bride from the evil eye, the sharp corners of triangles forming a defensive function.) is believed to protect the bride from evil eye, the sharp corners of triangles forming a defensive function. Their placements are thought to also draw awareness to and promote fertility as the largest square rests against the woman’s reproductive organs, emphasizing and protecting the bride’s fertility. The rest of the embroidery on the upper half of the garment also possibly resembles the ‘key to life’ embroidered on Tutankhamun’s shirt, a colourful pattern that radiates from the seven blocks in all directions, resembling sun rays with small, embroidered symbols scattered throughout. The sun was one of the deities of the Amazigh people in ancient times, and the symbols allude to items relevant to the Amazigh civilization such as the spider, fish, leaf, bride, fan, comb, etc.
 
More details
Until the last quarter of the twentieth century, a basic bridal outfit consisted of decorative trousers (khawatim Khawātim: (Pl. of khātim: Arabic: to end), refers to white cotton underpants that are tight at the ankles. The name refers to the three-square colourful silk motif (khātim) embroidered on the lower part of the underpants. It is worn by Siwan women in Egypt under dresses and tied at the waist by an embroidered band (takkat).), various dresses, head and body coverings and shoes (zrabin Zrābīn: (Arabic: zarab: to cage), traditional shoes worn by Siwan bride, made of soft red goatskin, and colourfully embroidered in the shape of small triangles.).
Traditionally, the dress (akbir_alharir Akbīr_alḥarīr: (Akbīr: Arabic: large, alḥarīr: Arabic: silk), a striped tunic dress made of red silk (tidi_akbar_lihrir_asgaagh) or green silk (tidi_akbar_lihrir_awraagh) decorated with two hand-woven pieces called (litshinab_nagil_al harir). Traditionally, the Siwan bride in Egypt wore it on her first and seventh wedding day with a white dress (taqṭusht maqlī) underneath.) is worn on the first and seventh days of the wedding ceremony along with the 'first-night dress’ (taqtusht_maqli Taqṭusht_maqlī: (Siwi Amazigh), a light, wide, white dress worn by the Siwan bride in Egypt. On top of it a striped dress made of red silk (tidi_akbar_lihrir_asgaagh) or green silk (tidi_akbar_lihrir_awraagh) is worn.). On the second day of the wedding, the bride tends to wear a simple, white dress with no ornaments or the same dress as the day before. The richly embroidered white dress (ashirah_lamilal Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl: (Siwi Amazigh: white dress), refers to a white garment adorned with colourful silk threads, shells, and buttons made of nacre or mother-of-pearl (tutin_tfukt Tūtīn_tfūkt: (Siwi Amazigh: the eye of the sun), refers to the buttons made of nacre (the mother-of-pearl buttons), used to decorate wedding dresses in Siwa Oasis, where mother-of-pearl is a form of talisman that attracts sunlight and reflects energy to its wearer.). Worn by brides in Siwa, Egypt on the third day of the wedding celebration.) is reserved for the third day. This dress is also often worn on the succeeding days of the wedding festivities. On the evening of the seventh day, the bride changes her clothes again and wears the dress she had on during the first day, namely the braids (kutan Kūṭan: (Siwi Amazigh), braids used to decorate the Siwan bride’s hair, made of colourful silk threads with red as the most prominent colour. Embellished with mother-of-pearl buttons, sequins, charms, and horseshoes, the braids add an elegant appearance to the bride, bring her good luck, and support her desire to have children.) and her jewellery.
The bride also puts on her head a red silk 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.  embroidered with Amazigh symbols and ends with long tassels, made of various bright colours used in embroidery.
A black dress (ashrah_hawaq_azdaf Ashrāḥ_ḥawāq_azdāf: (Ashrāḥ: Arabic: happy and pleased, ḥawāq: Siwi, azdāf: Siwi), an embellished black tunic dress similar to the white tunic dress (Ashirāḥ_lāmilāl). It is worn immediately after the wedding by the bride in Siwa, Egypt.) meaning "the decorated black shirt that makes us happy”, is worn by the bride in public immediately following the wedding. It is embroidered in a similar fashion as the white dress. After the first few months, the bride is allowed to wear ‘normal’ clothing, reserving the larger embroidered dresses for special occasions.
Due to the many details in this costume, the process of stitching and embroidering it by hand takes up to six months. Most of these bridal garments and related items were stitched and embroidered by the girl’s mother as well as the girl herself, with the help of other female family members. Such work would start when the girl is about three to four years old, as it was common until comparatively recently for most girls to be married by the age of fourteen.
A bride’s trousseau is the responsibility of her parents and should include every day and festive wear. Dresses worn by the bride during the wedding period form part of her trousseau. Normally it contains between 35 and 75 dresses, while some wealthier families include over a hundred.
 
More information
Embroidery and Adornment from the Siwa Oasis
Embroidery and Adornment from Siwa Oasis – International influence and Exchange
Embroidery and Adornment from the Siwa Oasis part 3: Pharaonic connections