Southern Sinai Woman's Faceveil (Egypt)

Woman's faceveil (burqa) from the southern Sinai, Egypt, second half 20th century. Woman's faceveil (burqa) from the southern Sinai, Egypt, second half 20th century. Courtesy Textile Research Centre, Leiden, acc. no. TRC 2004.0066.

The collection of the Textile Research Centre (TRC), Leiden, includes a typical woman's faceveil from the southern Sinai. Measuring 74 x 54 cm and locally called a burqa, it has a yellow head band decorated with beading.

The main veil section is orange and embellished with coins and cross stitch embroidery in green and purple. The lower edge of the veil is decorated with pre-dominantly red tassels ending in white, glass beads. There are various side bands with white beads and buttons sewn onto them.

The face veils from the southern Sinai have in general far less embroidery than those from the northern parts. Compare the northern Sinai face veil also housed in the TRC collection.

Source: VOGELSANG-EASTWOOD, Gillian (2016), 'Negev and Sinai Bedouin embroidery,' in: Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood (ed.), Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World, London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 397-420, esp. p. 402.

TRC online catalogue (retrieved 5 October 2016).

WV

 

Last modified on Sunday, 16 October 2016 11:12