Object Note
Part of an ensemble with two other pieces also part of the collection (ZI2020.500641 ASIA and ZI2020.500641a ASIA).
Object History
This piece of garment was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli as a set of ensembles from an independent dealer, in Istanbul in 2020 to add to and enhance The Zay Initiative Collection.
Object Features
This is a rectangular ivory head cover or scarf (yazma) made of cotton gauze fabric. The field of the piece is completely blank with no embellishment. However, it has ivory silk floss pompoms attached to the edges that are highlighted with metal sequins possibly made of silver.
In certain parts of Turkey, such panels of fabric can also be referred to as (mandil_yazma_mahrama) or (yazma_yemeni). However, these fabrics which are more akin to kerchiefs than scarves or traditional Turkish yazma, are typically rectangular in shape with printed patterns.
The various names or terms for these fabrics reflect the cross-cultural exchanges between the Arab world and the Ottoman regions. The origin of the term yazma_yemeni is uncertain, but some sources suggest that the earliest kerchiefs were possibly made of block_printed fabrics imported from Yemen. As printing facilities were later established within the empire, the term was generalised for any printed fabric.
Over time, the use of the terms yazma_yemeni or mandil_yazma_mahrama declined as scarves adorned with painted or printed patterns and (oya) trimmings became popular. These were simply, called yazma, retained a square shape instead of being rectangular, and were primarily used as headgear.
Links
- Cangökçe, Hadiye, et al. Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Son Döneminden Kadın Giysileri = Women’s Costume of the Late Ottoman Era from the Sadberk Hanım Museum Collection. Sadberk Hanım Museum, 2010.
- Küçükerman, Önder, and Joyce Matthews. The Industrial Heritage of Costume Design in Turkey. GSD Foreign Trade Co. Inc, 1996.
- AĞAÇ, Saliha, and Serap DENGİN. “The Investigation in Terms of Design Component of Ottoman Women Entari in 19th Century and Early 20th Century.” International Journal of Science Culture and Sport (IntJSCS), vol. 3, no. 1, Mar. 2015, pp. 113–125. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/91778
- Parker, Julianne. “OTTOMAN AND EUROPEAN INFLUENCE IN THE NINTEENTH-CENTURY BRIDAL COLLECTION OF THE AZEM PALACE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA.” Journal of Undergraduate Research: Brigham Young University, 18 Sept. 2013. http://jur.byu.edu/?p=6014
- Koç, Adem. “The Significance and Compatibility of the Traditional Clothing-Finery Culture of Women in Kutahya in Terms of Sustainability.” Milli Folklor , vol. 12, no. 93, Apr. 2012. 184. https://www.millifolklor.com/PdfViewer.aspx?Sayi=93&Sayfa=181
- Micklewright, Nancy. “Late-Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Wedding Costumes as Indicators of Social Change.” Muqarnas, vol. 6, 1989, pp. 161–74. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1602288. Accessed 13 July 2023.
- Micklewright, Nancy. “Looking at the Pst: Nineteenth Century Images of Constantinople and Historic Documents.” Expedition, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 24–32. https://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/pdfs/32-1/micklewright.pdf
- Ozgen, Ozlen, et al. “Henna Ritual Clothing in Anatolia from Past to Present: An Evaluation on Bindalli.” Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings, 2021, https://doi.org/10.32873/unl.dc.tsasp.0122.
- Hickman, Patricia Lynette. “Turkish Oya.” University of California, Berkeley, Dec, 1977. https://digitalassets.lib.berkeley.edu/envi/turkish_oya_v2.pdf
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