Object Note
Part of a set along with two more items (ZI2018.500246a OMAN, ZI2018.500246b OMAN) also in the collection.
Object History
This piece – a part of an entire ensemble – was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli in 2018 from an Omani artisan.
In the winter of 2015, Dr Reem attended a desert winter camp hosted by S HH Sheikha Hamdah bint Mohammed Al Nahyan, maternal aunt of the late HRH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The camp was also attended by a group of female Omani performers in their traditional attire. Dr. Reem’s fascination with their dresses led her to procure a three-piece ensemble from an Omani artisan. Little did she anticipate that this acquisition would eventually become an integral addition to The Zay Initiative collections.
Sheikhah Hamdah bint Mohammed Al Nahyan fervently supported Dr. Reem’s endeavours in preserving and documenting the UAE’s heritage and history. Her pivotal role included facilitating access to interviews and recording oral histories of numerous women in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. These efforts culminated in the publication of the book “Sultani: Traditions Renewed; Changes in Women’s Traditional Dress in the United Arab Emirates during the Reign of the Late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan,1966-2004”.
Object Features
This is a striped silk women’s tunic dress (dishdashah)/(kandurah) featuring a round neck and long sleeves with tapered and embellished cuffs.
The tunic is constructed of striped silk fabric (diryahi) possibly of (satin) weave. The stripes are woven in a variety of colours – yellow, red, white and purple. The field of the tunic is completely unadorned; however, the cuffs of the sleeves are embellished with corded tinsel, reminiscent of traditional metal wire (zari), and possibly silk floss threads in (turquoise) blue, green, red and purple. A variety of embroidery styles have been incorporated to embellish the cuffs such as (blanket_stitch), (couching) and (chain_stitch). The cuffs also have metal tab buttons for tightening them around the wrists of the wearer.
The garment is machine stitched and the embellishment is also machine embroidered. It has a thin red silk net lining throughout except the cuffs where a cotton fabric with (paisley) and other small floral motifs are printed in pink, purple and turquoise.
The diryahi silk fabric of Oman, predominantly sourced from India, exhibits a striking resemblance to the Ottoman fabric known as (çitari), which gained popularity during the Ottoman Era in the Middle East and nearby regions. While çitari was both domestically produced and imported from Damascus and India, a variant, potentially the Damascene type, was widely favoured for clothing in the Arab region of Palestine. This was particularly notable in Bethlehem, which was part of the Ottoman Empire. Since Oman was part of the wider Silk Route it is not surprising that this affinity for the striped fabric may very well have been influenced by the Ottoman çitari itself.
It’s important to acknowledge that while a dishdashah or kandurah is commonly identified as male attire across the Arab world, regional exceptions like this do exist. In Oman, for instance, the dishdashah or kandurah comes in two distinct variants, one tailored for men and the other for women.
Links
- Roche, 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-displaying-personal-taste
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