Object Note
Part of a lot constituting six more items – two pieces of (ZI2023.501012.1 TUNISIA), and four (ZI2023.501012.2 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.3 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.4 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.6 ASIA).
Object History
This item was purchased along with six more items by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli in 2023, from Augusta Auction Company, based out of Vermont, USA, to enhance The Zay Initiative collection.
Object Features
This is an ivory cotton woven traditional Omani men’s skull cap (kummah) with embroidered embellishment.
The band of the cap has two tiers of embellishments. While the bottom tier boasts a wavy central vine with foliage flanking it, the top tier is more geometric and features a repeat of two different geometric floral patterns arranged alternately.
The crown of the kummah features a central floral motif inside a circle and is flanked by two similar geometric floral patterns from the band arranged alternately. The design patterns are created with tiny eyelets made with (buttonhole_stitch) style embroidery done with beige silk floss threads.
It has a striking resemblance to the traditional Bori Muslim men’s skull cap (topi) (ZI2023.501012.4 ASIA) worn in the Indian subcontinent.
Although the Bohra Muslim community – a branch of Shia Islam with origins dating back to the Fatimid Caliphate – of the Indian subcontinent was initiated and introduced by a Yemeni and had far-reaching influences in the neighbouring Arab world like East Africa, it is not clear whether similar costumes and couture culture exists homogeneously within the entire community. However, it is not surprising that the resemblance of a traditional Omani kummah can be seen in traditional men’s head wear from East African countries like Zanzibar through the Arabian Peninsula and the city of Gwadar and its neighbouring areas in the southwestern region of Balochistan, Pakistan to India. In fact, Gwadar’s past as part of the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman until 1958 only ascertains this theory.
Links
- oche, Thomas, et al. “The dialogic fashioning of women’s dress in the Sultanate of Oman.” Journal of Arabian Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, 2014, pp. 38–51, https://doi.org/10.1080/21534764.2014.918373.
- Martinez, Aisa. “Omani men’s national dress: Displaying personal taste, asserting national identity.” Ars Orientalis, vol. 47, no. 20220203, 2017, https://doi.org/10.3998/ars.13441566.0047.013.
- https://omanisilver.com/contents/en-us/d612.html
- https://www.thenationalnews.com/lifestyle/how-oman-s-national-dress-references-the-country-s-rich-history-1.1113063
- https://www.nm.gov.om/en/collection/gift/crafts-industries
- http://sheikhanassr.blogspot.com/2015/10/traditional-clothes-of-oman-are-unique_14.html
- https://www.custom-qamis.com/en/blog//traditional-dress-of-oman
- https://timesofoman.com/article/70300-traditional-clothing-jewellery-showcase-omans-rich-cultural-heritage
- https://www.omanobserver.om/article/12101/Main/sur-traditional-clothes-still-a-favourite-during-special-occasions
- https://quod.lib.umich.edu/a/ars/13441566.0047.013/–omani-mens-national-dress
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