Object Note
Part of a set along with two more items (ZI2018.500246 OMAN and ZI2018.500246b OMAN).
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 ‘T’ shaped (chiffon) silk robe (qubba’ah) / (gabba’ah) in green embellished with beads and embroidery.
The field of the qubba’ah is plain with sporadic repeats of a small floral motif done with crystal beads which is perhaps applied with heat. It has a heavily embellished (yoke) around the neckline both front and back and one shoulder.
The yoke panel around the neckline has a silver base made of silver thread (zari). The panel is densely embellished using (chain_stitch) style embroidery. Both the front and the back yoke are embellished using similar techniques and materials. The front panel has several tiers of arabesque shape in descending order of its size. The shape is first produced on the base then two lines of crystal beads recreate the shape followed by a thin panel of burgundy silk floss thread embroidered in chain_stitch style which is intersected with crystal beads. This is followed by three thin lines of beads and two thick patches of wavy pattern and a thin line of golden beads between them. Finally, a rectangular frame in golden and white crystals is followed by a pine tree-shaped pattern in burgundy floss threads highlighted with white crystals. The top of the neckline boasts a tassel made of gold and silver threads at the end of a crystal-encrusted baton and a loop. The neckline has (frog_fasteners) made of gold and silver threads on one side and loops on the other also made of gold and silver zari.
The back yoke is a rectangular panel with horizontal rows of crystal embellished panels in wavy and straight lines repeated alternately. The end of the rectangular panel has five elongated floral motifs repeatedly alternately with four archway-style patterns. The shoulder is embellished with golden and white crystals only arranged in a spade shape motif with wavy vines around it as a frame and a thin zigzag base which extends to frame the opening of the sleeves. This zigzag pattern is reflected on the other sleeve too. The embellished shoulder design falls equally in the front as well as the back of the wearer.
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
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