Object Note
This (qarqush) is part of a two-piece ensemble along with a tarjal harazi tunic dress (ZI 500288 YEMEN).
Object History
This garment was purchased through Zakaria, a dedicated dealer who helps the Zay Initiative source items such as these.
Object Details
The qarqush in the Zay’s Collection is short and pointed, made of red and yellow striped silk and thick silver embroidery. The inside is a natural beige colour. The silver embroidery is heaviest along the ear flaps with a circular medallion above, located on either side of the head. When lying flat, the pointed cap takes the shape of a flat rectangle.
The qarqush is a headdress traditionally worn by girls from Yemen’s Jewish community. The community has dwindled to become almost non-existent today, but decades ago Jewish Yemeni girls would wear the cap at all times, both inside and outside the home. She would only remove it on the night of her marriage. Thus the cap serves a social purpose, informing young suitors which girls were potentially available. The final removal of the qarqush on the wedding night was highly ritualised. After marriage Yemeni Jews would wear a headscarf when in public. The tradition of wearing a qarqush is still practiced by some Yemeni Jewish girls now living in diaspora communities, yet it is usually only symbolically worn by brides during a celebration before the wedding. Most of these brides are now modernised and wear a Western-style white dress on their wedding day.
Qarqush is believed to have ancient, pre-Islamic roots, are made out of cotton or satin coloured fabric, and decorated with coral, shells, and silver embroidery. Each region had a distinct style, some short, others long. Girls from nomadic areas often preferred long, flowing headdresses, whereas in the mountainous regions shorter caps were worn.
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