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What did people wear?

A man wearing a thawb and taqiyah.
Image caption,
A man wearing a modern day thawb (long tunic) and taqiyah (cap).

Men started wearing a long one piece garment with sleeves called a thawb. In the Umayyad Caliphate (AD661 - 750) designers started making them patterned or striped.

Many women wore a headscarf or a veil to cover their faces and men would often cover their heads with a turban.

Richer people in the society were able to afford more intricate designed clothing such as using damask fabric (named after Damascus in Syria) which was a patterned silk.

Poorer workers would have worn cheaper materials such as wool and would have worn fewer layers.

During the Abbasid Caliphate (AD751 - 1258), black became the ceremonial colour for court officials. Black became a popular colour for clothes because it represented wealth and high status.

In the early Islamic civilisation, it was traditional to dress modestly and cover the body. It was disrespectful if your clothing trailed on the ground or if under garments were past the ankle in length.

A man wearing a thawb and taqiyah.
Image caption,
A man wearing a modern day thawb (long tunic) and taqiyah (cap).
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What were clothes made from?

The weather in cities like Baghdad is hot and dry which means clothes needed to be cool and protect people from the sun.

Commonly used fabrics were linen, cotton and wool. Shoes and sandals were made of leather.

Trade from other countries brought new fabrics to the early Islamic civilisation. This included silks from China but they were very expensive.

A silk loom.
Image caption,
Silk was a luxury fabric and not many ordinary people could afford to buy it.
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What clothes were special?

A Tiraz was a piece of fabric with writing on it such as a ruler's name. They were given to important people who worked with the Caliph as a sign of honour. They were worn as bands and sewn onto robes.

They were made of linen, wool or cotton and some were dyed yellow, green, or brown. The writing would have been embroidered (sewn) onto the fabric.

A Tiraz with writing on it.
Perfume sprinkler from probably Syria, 11th-mid-13th century.
Image caption,
Perfume sprinkler from probably Syria, 11th-mid-13th century.

People had access to a wide range of spices and oils which could be used to make perfume.

Popular ingredients included roses, orange blossoms and water lilies.

Scientist Al-Kindi carried out experiments to work out ways of creating perfumes with plants and oils.

Perfume could be used as part of religious ceremonies.

Perfume sprinkler from probably Syria, 11th-mid-13th century.
Image caption,
Perfume sprinkler from probably Syria, 11th-mid-13th century.
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Activity: Quiz 鈥 Early Islamic clothing

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