Ana Worthington F Block: Comparing Islamic and Byzantine Clothing and Fashion

 

Comparing Islamic and Byzantine Clothing

In comparing the Byzantine Empire to the Islamic Empire, one thing that was similar in the two empires was the clothing. Byzantine and Islamic fashion was similar in the sense of clothing articles of especially women, being that both empires believed that fashion was meant to be extremely modest. That belief was mainly religously lead, along with Greek and Roman roots. As two primary sources, I used a quote from Aish Bint Talha about Muslim dress, and an ancient tessarae painting, “Byzantine: Faith and Power”, to show ancient Islamic Dress. 

At first, Islams in their first century were relaxed about female dress. When the niece of Aishah Bint Abu Bakr, Aisha Bint Talha was asked by her husband to veil her face, she answered with words that would set the modest dress for women all around her. This was according to source: History Of The Hijab. The trend grew, being influenced by classical Greek, Byzantine, and Persian modesty, and women came to cover their faces with a veil. According to sources, all women dress was very modest. They wore long, loose tunics, which came down to their knees, loose pants, and tunics. They wore the veil, or hijab, wrapped around their faces and draped across their bodies.

By the fourteenth century, Byzantine artists had developed a new type of art form called micromosaics, which was worked in tiny tessarae with a painterly style. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the 2004 exhibition, holds this painting, “Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)”. In the artwork, it is visible how women dressed, and how similar it was to Islamic fashion. Byzantine women wore long sleeves, long hems, and long tunics. Wealthier women also sometimes wore a dalmatica, which was a shorter tunic, a scaramangion, a riding coat of Persian origin, or a top layer called a stola. They also sometimes wore belts tied around their several layers. Their clothing was made from different fabrics, depending on their social status and income.

I.)  There was a difference between Islamic fabrics of the rich and the poor.

1. Tunics were made of linen for the rich, and cotton for the poor.

2. Often, the rich would have things made of silk in bold, solid colors.

Closing: Along with their being differences in Islamic fabrics, there were also differences in Byzantine fabric.

II.) Byzantine women liked to dye their fabrics with colors and patterns.

1.  The poor resist dyed and printed patterns on their Byzantine silk.

2. The rich wove and embroidered patterns into their byzantine silk..

Closing: Despite little differences in both Byzantine and Islamic textiles and fabric, the similarities and Greek routes of their clothing out way all differences.

Total Conclusion: With two very different empires, one thing that could bring them closer together with their similarities was their fashion and similar clothing.

Above: "Byzantium: Faith and Power (1261-1557)

Bibliography: 

"Islamic Fashion." N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.<ashionhistory.zeesonlinespace.net/byzantine.htm>.http://hijabasamst128.weebly.com/historical-origins.html

"Islam." Ed Tech Teacher. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. 
<http://www.besthistorysites.net/index.php/ancient-biblical-history/islam>.

"Islam History." Islam History. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. 
<islamshistory.webs.com/islamicclothing.htm>.  

"Byzantine." MET, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. 
<http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/2008.352>.