This is Part 1 in a series on the dress and adornment from the Siwa Oasis. The Siwa Oasis is an isolated settlement in Egypt, close to the Libyan border at the edge of the Western Desert. It is inhabited by sedentary descendants of the nomadic Amazigh, or Berbers. Siwa is the only pocket of Amazigh so far east in North Africa, all other nomadic people in Egypt are Bedouin. In this way, the people and traditions of the Siwa Oasis are often linked more to those of North Africa rather than to Egypt. Although the official language is now Arabic, Siwi, a Tamazight tongue, is still spoken and the inhabitants’ identity remains proudly Siwan.  The Zay Collection includes two items of Siwan … Continue reading Embroidery and Adornment from the Siwa Oasis