Requests from referer
Object History
On a visit to Bahrain in 2018, Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli, sought to find crafters talented in silver embroidery (naqdah). She was advised to meet with Zakiyah Ali, from then on, they became good friends and Zakiyah began to source old articles of dress to help build the Bahraini section of The Zay collection. Dr. El Mutwalli has also commissioned Zakiyah to create a sample of her work, one specifically to be added in Zakiyah’s name in due course.
This overgarment was handmade by the late Maryam Ali Nasser Al-Hayki, famous for her skills in sewing and craftsmanship. Zakiyah Ali, her daughter, inherited these skills from her mother and excelled especially in silver straw technique (naqdah) . Thus, she is known as Zakiyah Naqdah.
Object Features
This rare example of overgarment (thawb naghdah) dates back to 1990. Despite its age the translucent, light pink, lustrous, cotton voile fabric, still looks somewhat new indicating it was seldom used.
It is embellished in silver straw technique (naqdah). The silver straw (khus), surrounds the collar and the central axis, running in three parallel bands of repeated triangular motifs. Similar bands frame the hemline on both sleeves and the lower gown hemline as well as 1 cm wide diamond formations are scattered across the whole garment. It shows oxidization due to age. Thus, the color change to black in some areas, while more polished sections show restored silver luster.
The naqdah technique is common to all Arab Gulf states. Customarily, it uses silver straw (khus), about 0.5 cm wide, which is weighed in (tolah) when purchased. It is threaded onto a flat, wide needle with a similarly flat, wide eye. The strips are then threaded into the fabric, crisscrossed, and flattened by applying pressure with fingernails.
The method is used to make different geometric shapes, composed of individual dots that look like stars. Once the whole design is complete, the fabric is stamped down and passed through a roller, to flatten the metal even more.
Such a garment is customarily worn over underpants (sirwal) and a tunic dress (dara’ah), and is reserved for very special social events such as weddings.
This is a physical example of the traditional Arabic saying (zinah_wa_khazinah), meaning “beauty and wealth in one”. The silver embellishment (mnaghad) which decorated this veil was employed to show status and style but could also be melted down and sold in times of need.
Donate