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| Local Name | Tahiyah, taqiyah |
| Object Category | Headwear |
| Gender | Female |
| Place Of orgin | Asia |
| Region | Central Asia |
| Object Range | Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iran, India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Turkey |
| Dimensions | Length: 8 cm Width: 24 cm |
| Materials | Silk |
| Technique | Hand Stitched Woven |
| Color | |
| Motif | Geometric Abstract |
| Provenance | Purchased, Augusta Auction Company, Vermont 2023 |
| Location | The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative |
| Status | In Storage |
| ZI number | ZI2023.501012.2 ASIA |
Object Note
Part of a set constituting of six more items – two pieces of (ZI2023.501012.1 TUNISIA, ZI2023.501012.3 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.4 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.5 OMAN, and ZI2023.501012.6 ASIA).
Object History
This colourful women’s skull cap was purchased along with six more items by Dr. Reem Tariq
Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon. Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.
Object Features
This is a typical Turkmen woman’s skull cap or (tahiyah)/(taqiyah
Ṭāqīyah : (Arabic: cap; Synonym: Ṭāgīyah, Ṭā’īyah), a small round skull cap worn by the Arab communities of the Middle Eastern and North African countries. It is worn by both men and women and has several regional versions and is also popular amongst the Muslim communities of Central, South, and Southeast Asia.
The previous collector had also attributed this piece as a men’s accessory, however, Turkmen men’s tahiya Tāḥīyah: (Arabic: ṭāqīyah – small round skull cap), a traditional skull cap often colourfully embroidered and embellished. A part of Turkmen national costume it is worn by both men and women with slight differences in design and construction to distinguish between the genders. typically come with a conical crown, while flat crown tahiyah like this are worn by women.
It is hand-woven in an array of colourful silk threads – orange, purple, black, yellow, and white – depicting abstract and geometric designs. It is very similar in style to the silk skull caps typical of Bokhara, Uzbekistan, which are far removed from the typical black skull caps Uzbek men.
The base of the cap is possibly a thick layer of felt which has been thickly embroidered with silk threads. The piece is completely hand-stitched and unlined.
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