Coin embellished face mask - Egypt

Object History 
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. spotted this article (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) at an antique dealer and acquired it for The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. collection.
The merchant originally bought this mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) from the Nubian market in Arish, Egypt. She recalls how the women surrounded her and dressed her in the Sinai dress, saying: "The Nubian women were performers, so I sat on the ground, and they draped me with one thing after another. Each time I would look in the mirror they would remark: (gamilah awi) very beautiful. It was a fun day".
 
Object Features 
This face mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) is worn by married Bedouin women from Arish of North Sinai, Egypt.
This red cotton mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) consists of a veil that hangs from a narrow strand attached to a headband that circles the head at the forehead. It spreads gradually, covering the nose, mouth, and neck areas completely. The eyes, parts of the forehead, and all the cheeks remain visible. The mask is rectangular-shaped folded at the centre with a stitched down boxed pleat at the fold, creating a stiff ridge. Two white and navy woven loops are attached to the headband of the mask. The strips are 1.5 cm wide by 25 cm long. They help fasten the article onto the face by tying them together at the back.
The headband is made of white cotton and decorated with a red cross-stitch Cross-stitch: An embroidery technique of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. embroidery in zigzags made up of smaller zigzags. It is also embellished with two rows of three metal coins with dangling pendants made of colourful glass, coral Coral: (Greek: korallion, probably from Hebrew: goral – small pebbles), is a pale to medium shade of pink with orange or peach undertones, resembling the colour of certain species of coral., and wooden beads ending with an orange cotton fringe. The colours of the beads include red, orange, purple, brown and black.
Two gold metal coins are attached to the upper corners of the rectangular veil. The upper half of the veil is embroidered with six black lines. The other half is embellished with rows of silver metal stamped coins that extend vertically to the hem of the veil. In the midst of the stamped coins, there is one Saudi Arabian copper-nickel (½ ghirsh) dating back to the Islamic date of 1346, which is the year 1928 in the Gregorian calendar, in addition to two silver Ottoman coins of unknown dates. Attached to the lower hem of the veil are four dangling seashells.
The Sinai mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) is usually sewn with thin cotton and sometimes silk. It is embroidered at the forehead with a cross-stitch Cross-stitch: An embroidery technique of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. of colourful woollen then threads. If the woman is capable, silver coins are used to adorn her mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.). If she is wealthy, she is keen to decorate it with gold coins. In this case, the cords on both sides of the temple are decorated with precious stones such as coral Coral: (Greek: korallion, probably from Hebrew: goral – small pebbles), is a pale to medium shade of pink with orange or peach undertones, resembling the colour of certain species of coral. and onyx. When the burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects. wears out, the women transfer the coins on it to a new one.