DRESSING STYLE IN SOUTHERN AZERBAIJAN
The way of dressing presents a significant proof to the
cultural and historical ties and international relations and
is a phenomenon which is influenced by the geographical
environment of the nations and economic standards.
Therefore, the way of dressing is closely related with the
history of a nation and reflects interaction more than other
elements of material culture. The way of dressing can
reflect all the social, cultural, artistic and even
political phases of a nation just a like a mirror.
Apart from the richness in style and ornaments, the garments
in Southern Azerbaijan also attract attention with the
fabrics they are made out of. The abundance and cheapness of
raw material in the region has caused silk and wool industry
to develop. The most important fabrics produced in Southern
Azerbaijan were satin, taffeta, brocade, muslin, termeh,
velvet and various types of cambric. Besides being consumed
in the country, these products were also exported to foreign
countries.
While the clothes for women were usually made out of silk,
termeh and velvet, men’s clothing was made out of woolen
fabrics, which were indigenously produced or imported. Linen
and cotton were used in both the underwear of men and women
while rich people preferred silk. In the past the ceremonial
garments in Southern Azerbaijan are said to be made out of
more expensive and more ornamented products and that the way
of dressing made it easy to distinguish the age and family.
For example there are some evident differences between the
dressing style of single girl and a married woman. While
young women prefer bright and vivid colors, elder women
preferred less ornaments on their clothes. The shape of
children clothing is similar to that of the adults’ but some
small differences can be seen due to their height and age.
It can be derived from sources that the women’s clothing in
Southern Azerbaijan in the 19th and early 20th
centuries consisted of underwear and outer clothing and both
were separated as clothes that were worn on the shoulder and
those that were worn on the waist. Based on the information
received from sources, we will try to give examples of the
national Azeri women clothing and explain their
characteristics.
·
The koynak, which is one of the outer clothing, is
generally made out of silk and seamless on the shoulders,
has loose square sleeves and an extra piece below the arms
to allow freedom of movement, is crew necked and has a slit
in the front. It is a short piece of clothing and is called
“Goynek” in most of the regions.
·
Another outer wear, which is worn over the koynak is
Jabken (a short embroidered jacket with full sleeves). This
piece of clothing is tight and has a lining. The most
important feature of the Jabken is its sleeves. The sleeves
are extra-long and have different shapes and they loosely
dangle down the arms. The seams on the lower part of the
sleeves are not sown, only the ends of the sleeves are
stitched. It is made out of silk brocade or velvet and its
edges are cleanly lined with bias tape.
·
Another outer wear seen in Southern Azerbaijan is
“Arkalik”. It comes in different models, colors and flowered
patterns. This piece of clothing is adored in Azerbaijan and
is a tight piece of clothing, which reaches up to the waist
and from the waist further widens down with pleats. It has
long sleeves and the sleeves also widen further down from
the elbows. It has a scoop neck and buttons up in the center
front. The Arkaliks, which are of dark red color and which
are made out of silk velvet and are embroidered with flower
patterned needlework, are worth a sight. This Arkalik covers
up the body until the waist, has a scoop neck, buttons up in
the front and loosens down from the waist with pleats. It is
derived from the sources that the Arkalik was worn over the
koynak by the women in Southern Azerbaijan until recently.
·
Another outer war, which is worn on the shoulder, is
the “labbadah”. It reaches further down the waist and is
open in the front. It has wing-shaped pieces beside it. The
sleeves finish at the elbows and they have slits under them.
·
The sleeveless, short vest worn by the women in
winter is called “kurdu”. Kurdu is made out of dark red
velvet and has a padded lining inside it. Rabbit fur lines
the collar, sleeves and shirttail. It is winter garment
embroidered with silver ribbons. The costumes, which they
wear as official garments, are longer outer wear and are cut
from the waist and the lower piece is sown to the upper part
by a pleat.
·
The Azeri women wore “tumans” under their outer
garments, which are long, pleated and loose skirts, which
reach down all the way to the ankles. They usually wore five
or six tumans on top of each other and the tumans, which are
in between the tuman and the outer skirt, are called “middle
tumans”. Moreover, women, while going out, wore “jakshirs”
over their skirts, which resembled a trouser leg. Tumans are
usually made out of silk. The loose and wide skirt is
narrowed at the waist by free pleats and is tied with a
tufted waistband.
·
From the old pictures we can see that the Azerbaijani
women liked decorating themselves and made extensive use of
jewelry for this purpose. They had some very valuable and
precious jewelry. Golden or silver belts are worn on the
Arkalik and jabkan. Another type of belt, which is commonly
used in Azerbaijan, is a leather one with silver pieces sown
on it.
·
National clothing is complemented by a cap (“bork” in
Southern Azerbaijan), various sandals and shoes. Socks,
which are knit with woolen or silk threads in various
patterns, are worn on feet. The women living in rural
villages used to tie “yashmaks” round their heads and use
webbed veils over the eyes.
·
The way of clothing in Southern Azerbaijan has
repeatedly changed throughout the political developments in
our contemporary history. In other words the way of clothing
in Southern Azerbaijan clearly reflects the social and
political changes. The clothing of the Azeri women mentioned
above consists of the clothes they wear inside their homes
and when they are only together with those they are
intimate. However the Azerbaijani women have spent their
lives under veils for a very long period of time. The
dissolution of the Ghajar Kingdom (the name of a kingdom in
Iran) and the establishment of the Pahlavi order brought
about a great deal of agitation regarding the dressing style
in Southern Azerbaijan. Reza Shah Pahlavi tried to imitate
the great leader Ataturk, who had made some serious reforms
in the Turkish Republic, and has implemented a so-called
clothing revolution called the “Kashf Hejab”. This so-called
forced revolution caused a great change in the style of
clothing of the later Southern Azerbaijani generation. The
Southern Azerbaijani women instantly got rid of their veils
and men began to wear modern clothes. After this incident
some of our women had to stay indoors for years. The women
of Southern Azerbaijan could now go around without having to
cover their heads just like their western counterparts.
After the Second World War Mohammed Reza Shah Pahlavi, the
son of Reza Shah Pahlavi took over the kingdom. During the
time of the pro-Western Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, people
were now completely like the westerners. In an era when
Southern Azerbaijan was on the verge of being forgotten,
those who still wore the traditional outfits meant that they
were either reactionary or villagers. With the so-called
Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, the clothing of
especially the women was subject to the reforms. However,
this time the color of the revolution was black and the
women of Southern Azerbaijan had to cover themselves up in
veils once again just like the rest of the Iranian women
living in other parts of the country.
Despite all these developments, the women of Southern
Azerbaijan has never given up dressing in a classy manner
and will always have a taste for clothes.
