Object History
This typical Afghan women’s cloak or (chadari) was spotted and purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli, during a routine visit to the Sharjah antique or Islamic sūq more recently known as The Blue Souk in 2021. It was acquired to enhance the collection of The Zay Initiative.
Though purchased as is, it would most likely have been worn with a matching skirt to cover the lower half of the body.
Object Features
This is a blue women’s cloak or chadari typical to Afghanistan and of the Afghan population in neighbouring Pakistan.
This chadari is made of a silk-like material possibly polyester and is embellished with embroidery of similar colour silk floss threads. The back is made of a plain blue (plisse_pleated) fabric.
The head has a skull cap with heavy embroidery mostly in (satin_stitch) style depicting floral motifs as well as geometric designs around the eye opening. The front piece is a different fabric than the back and is embroidered with a thick band of floral motifs in satin_stitch with a similar shade of silk floss threads. It has an eye-opening constructed net, resembling lattice work seen on Islamic architectural screens – mashrabiyah – separately attached to the fabric which flaunts heavy embroidery around it.
It also features a band of cutwork near the hem with (buttonhole_stitch). The back piece has ruffles or layers or horizontal frills below the waist created by folding the fabric and stitching it.
Off late this garment is often seen in light blue and has become synonymous with Afghan women’s attire, however, traditionally they were also made of an array of different colours such as brown, ivory, green, and black.
Links
- Valérie Bérinstain, Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, Zaira Mis, Marcel Mis. Asian Costumes and Textiles from the Bosphorus to Fujiyama: The Zaira and Marcel Mis Collection. California: Skira, 2001.
- Suleman, Fahmida. Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia (British Museum) The Fabric of Life. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017.
- Embroidery from Afghanistan Fabric, folios. Sheila Paine. Washington: University of Washington Press, 2006.
- Sukhareva, Olʹga Aleksandrovna. Suzani: Central Asian Decorative Embroidery. Samarkand: SMI Asia, 2013.
- Click here to know more about the (burqa) and a chadari:
- https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr#COM-10186
- https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the-1950s-and-60s/100544/
- https://trc-leiden.nl/collection/?trc=&zoek=afghan&cat=&subcat=&g=&s=100&f=0&id=2471
Donate