Object Note
Part of a set with another item (ZI2022.501000 ALGERIA) also in the collection.
Object History
In 2022, Ms. Iman bin Rmaila, a journalist, graciously donated this item to The Zay Initiative. The artifact originally belonged to her mother, Zuwaina bin Omran, who was born on July 22, 1969. Zuwaina married Ahmed bin Rumaila at the age of 20, and together they had six children, including Ms. Iman.
This particular piece holds special significance as it served as Zuwaina’s pre-wedding henna outfit. Preserving it as one of her cherished possessions, Zuwaina intended for Ms. Iman to use it during her wedding. However, upon learning about The Zay Initiative’s cause, Zuwaina willingly chose to donate this valuable piece. She intended to contribute to the preservation and sharing of Algerian heritage with a wider audience through The Zay Initiative.
Object Features
This is a pair of women’s slippers made of burgundy velvet on a leather base featuring embroidered embellishment on the front.
The field of the slipper is plain, but the top is embellished in (couching) style embroidery using metal possibly gold threads, golden plastic sequins, and yellow plastic beads. It displays a butterfly-like pattern with elongated wings emerging horizontally on each side of the floral pattern.
Links
- Belkaïd, Leyla, and Paul Balta. Algeroises: Histoire d’un Costume Mediterraneen. Edisud, 1998.
- Belkaïd, Leyla. Costumes d’algérie. Editions Du Layeur, 2003.
- Pichault, Pradette. Le Costume Traditionnel Algérien. Maisonneuve & Larose, 2007.
- Montaldo, Elisabetta, and Clotilde Sarnico. L’oro Del Mare: L’antico Costume Delle Donne Di Procida. Libreria Dante & Descartes, 2009.
- Snoap, Morgan, “Algerian Women’s Waistcoats – The Ghlila and Frimla: Readjusting the Lens on the Early French Colonial Era in Algeria (1830-1870)” (2020). Honors Program Theses. 114. https://scholarship.rollins.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1113&context=honors
- Belkaïd Neri, Leyla. “Croisements et Hybridations Des Modes Vestimentaires.” Paraître et Apparences En Europe Occidentale Du Moyen Âge à Nos Jours – Croisements et Hybridations Des Modes Vestimentaires, Presses universitaires du Septentrion, 1 Jan. 1970, https://books.openedition.org/septentrion/57558
- “UNESCO – Rites and Craftsmanship Associated with the Wedding Costume Tradition of Tlemcen.” Intangible Cultural Heritage, https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/rites-and-craftsmanship-associated-with-the-wedding-costume-tradition-of-tlemcen-00668
- https://www.mahj.org/fr/decouvrir-collections-betsalel/gilet-19172
- “Home.” Nationalclothing.Org, https://nationalclothing.org/africa/48-algeria/566-algerian-folk-clothing-from-different-regions-of-the-country.html
- https://algerianculture.tumblr.com/post/37551143532/76945-costume-researchand-more-algerian
- https://istizada.com/arab-clothing-the-ultimate-guide/
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