DepartmentTextiles-Asia

Wuqayat Al-Darhem

NameBridal headdress

Artist Artist Not Recorded

Datec. 1840

Place madeHebron, Historic Palestine, Middle East or West Asia, Asia

MediumLinen, cotton, silk, wool, silver, coral, glass beads

Dimensions16 9/16 × 8 1/4 in. (42 × 21 cm)

Credit LineMuseum of International Folk Art, gift of Florence Dibell Bartlett, A.1955.86.919

Object numberA.1955.86.919

Collections

Palestinian Dress and Jewelry

DescriptionLength of ear flap is 35cm. Round base, flat top with triangular ear-flaps. Rows of fish scale coins 3/4 of the way around hat. Ear pendants have coins, beads, and a silver triangular pendant with dangles. Visible quilting stitches on inside to stiffen structure. Top of the hat is a replacement over the original embroidery as is the red triangular embroidery on the back.

3358 Wuqāyat ed-derāhim (mid nineteenth century) (Fig. 27 and Plate 13) This marriage headdress comes from the southern Judaean Hills. The round base, flat top, and triangular ear-flaps are made of sturdy native Palestinian linen. The crown is embroidered in cross stitch and has a checkered design in red, blue, green, and cream silk thread. The embroidery is badly worn. The original cross stitch embroidery on the back of the cap has been covered with a patch of rust red Turkish stitch (double triangle) embroidery, which was probably cut from a shambar. The front and sides of the cap are thickly encrusted with tightly-sewn overlapping layers of Ottoman paras (worth a fortieth of a piaster). Red and blue glass beads and tubular coral form a chevron design across the brow, from which many silver talismans in the form of crescents and hands are suspended as protection against the Evil Eye. Several coins are attached to the band over the coral and glass bead chevrons. These bear the dates: A.H. 1187 (A.D. 1773–74), 1203 (1788–89), and 1223 (1808–9). At the bottom of each ear-flap is a triangular-shaped metal ornament called hijāb (“amulet”) from which hang short chains with teardrops. Also suspended from the ear-flaps are long tassels of red and blue glass beads. Height: 12 cm. Diameter: 18 cm. (Palestinian Costume and Jewelry, Yedida Kalfon Stillman, 1979 ISBN: 0-82630490-7)