From the archive: Candying Ginger

Candying Ginger

Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania

Julia May Copyright 2007

Ginger has been known since ancient times for its use as a culinary spice and medicinal herb. It has been cultivated for so long that it no longer propagates from seed, and has been found in so many places that its region of origin is unknown. Typically called ginger root, it’s actually the tubers of the ginger plant, zingiber officinale. In the late Roman Empire it was one of the cheapest spices available, a pound of it costing only 3 days wages for the average worker.[i]

Ginger is identified modernly as a pumpkin pie spice to most US American pallets. Those with a more adventurous gastronomy will recognize the much more spicy appearance of ginger in Thai cooking, and as a pickled accompaniment to sushi. It is a hot spice, sometimes compared to the capsaicin of hot peppers, however, gingerols, the natural compound that makes ginger spicy has a similar structure to capsaicin but functions differently in the body.[ii]

For centuries, cultures have considered ginger a natural remedy for gastrointestinal disorders and general pain.[iii] Modern studies have borne this out as the gingerols compound acts as a natural pain reliever (COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor).[iv] Studies have also found that ginger acts as an anti-nausea, better than commercial travel products.[v]

In grocery stores, candied ginger can go for $3 per ounce! Making candied or crystallized ginger at home is easy, not very messy and provides enough to share with friends. Ginger “root” can be found in the produce section of many grocery stores. Select one or two “hands” of ginger with golden papery skin that is plump, smooth and glossy. Avoid wrinkled or dessicated hands. The candying process takes a few days, but is low maintenance.

1. Remove and discard any dried exposed ends of the hand.

2. Wash, then peel the ginger with a vegetable peeler, breaking off the fingers as necessary to facility peeling. (Avoid touching the eyes and other sensitive body parts before a thorough hand washing.)

3. Slice across the grain to create pieces a little less than a ¼” thick. Cut up all the useable bits of fingers in the same manner.

4. Select a pot with a lid about twice the volume of your ginger and place all of the sliced ginger inside. Add enough water to cover and about half as much sugar or honey (different sugars and single source honeys produce different flavors). Stir to dissolve the sweetener.

5. Heat, uncovered, until it boils, stirring frequently.

6. Allow to boil for 3-5 minutes, cover and remove from the heat. 

7. Once it cools, or overnight, repeat steps 5 and 6 three to four more times, adding water as necessary to keep it from burning. Do this until the pieces become translucent, letting the water level get a little lower as the ginger pieces get closer to translucent. Let cool enough to handle.

8. Place wire racks over wax paper. Put sugar (any variety, but the grains should be the size of table sugar) in a bowl. Pick out the individual pieces of ginger from the syrup, wiping off the excess on the side of the pot. Dredge them in the sugar and let dry on the wire racks over night or longer. Package in glass jars or plastic containers. It last for a few weeks.

9. Reserve the remaining syrup for another use. Suggestions include: Slathering on hot biscuits, making ginger ale, adding to pear cordial, or drizzling on ice cream.

Remember to warn the uninitiated-- who often think of ginger as that pumpkin pie spice-- of the intense heat of ginger. You might also try candying galangal, a cousin to ginger and fellow popular period spice in the Mediterranean. Enjoy!

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[i] Dalby, Andrew. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. U of California Press: Berkley. 2000.

[ii] Kingsley, Danny. Ginger has painkilling properties: research. Internet website accessed 2/27/07. http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/health/HealthRepublish_433324.htm

[iii] Keville, Kathy. Herbs: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Freedman/Fairfax: New York. 1994.

[iv] Kingsley.

[v] Keville.

From the archive: Rethinking Cinnamon

Rethinking Cinnamon

Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania

Julia May Copyright 2007, revised 2010

The word cinnamon recalls memories of Grandma's baking, holiday treats and Cinnabon at the malls. It is a powerful word for evoking memories today, it is also a powerful word in trade during the period of SCA study. Yet, somewhere along the way society has replaced the flavor of cinnamon with the flavor of cassia- while continuing to call it by the evocative name of “cinnamon”.

A distinction between them has been noted since ancient times, when cooks and physicians would admonish the use of “true” cinnamon (also called Ceylon cinnamon) in order to get the proper balance in a dish or remedy. Not surprisingly, cinnamon is dry and hot in humeral theory, best suited to use in January and February according to one Byzantine text.[i] By the eleventh century, cassia was included in perfume recipes.[ii] Both kinds of cinnamon were pricey. Stories would abound of the dangers in collecting cinnamon-- thereby explaining the costliness of the spice. Phoenix nests were reportedly made of it, and had to be watched daily in case shuffling in the nest would cause some of the precious spice to fall to the ground below. Other sources of cinnamon were said to be culled from trees in terrible swamps where giant bats would protect it.[iii] Nero is said to have burned a year’s worth of cinnamon at the death of his wife, so noted because of the exorbitant cost. 

True cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, is grown in Sri Lanka (once called "Ceylon") today, though is probably native to India. Cassia, C. Cassia, is also from the bark of an Indian tree. Both have used since ancient times. Centuries later Columbus found the source of what is today know as Mexican cinnamon. A fellow Spaniard, Dr. Chanca, wrote of the white cinnamon, Canella winterana, also stripped from the bark of a tree.[iv] The difference in flavor is striking. While each is clearly “cinnamon” to a modern pallet the Ceylon is richer and less pungent, whereas the cassia is bolder and spicier in flavor. Mexican cinnamon is the flavor in Red Hot button candies.

The modern cook, while shopping at a traditional grocer, will be hard pressed to find anything other than cassia. Labels simply say “cinnamon”, as do ingredient lists. However, in specialty stores (such as Penzys) and on the Internet (Auntie Arwen's) one can find selections of four or more different cinnamon choices including Saigon cinnamon, or Cinnamomum loureirii, used in modern perfume making; Ceylon cinnamon and two to three kinds of cassia.

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[i] Dalby, Andrew. Flavors of Byzantium. Prospect Books: Devon, England. 2003.

[ii] Ibid.

[iii] Faas, Patrick. Around the Roman Table: Food and Feasting in Ancient Rome. Palgrave: New York. 2003.

[iv] Dalby, Andrew. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. U of California Press: Berkley. 2000.

From the archive: Fatimid Embroidered Milhafa

Fatimid-style Embroidered Milhafa

Julia May, aka: Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania
Copyright 2004, revised 2010.

Within the SCA we have the opportunity to research social history in such a way that the study of history comes to life in our hands. Our stated area of focus is pre-Seventeenth Century Europe, concentrating on the Western High Middle Ages[1]. Through casual research we encounter European countries bordering the Mediterranean and discover it is not so far a leap across that great waterway to any area that was controlled by the Byzantine and Islamic empires. It is within this greater context that the following research is presented.

Wraps in the Medieval Mediterranean were as ubiquitous as the women who wore them. To the Roman woman it was her palla, protecting her from the elements; to the Byzantine woman it was the paludamentium, protecting her embellished clothing from excessive wear; and to the Muslim woman is was the izar, protecting her from unwanted attention.

In recreating the dress of a Fatimid woman from Cairo in the eleventh century, I have made a specific izar called a milhafa. It is approximately 1-½ yards wide by 3-½ yards long and is described at being worn any number of way. The image below, while being later than the Fatimid period, gives one and idea of ways the garment might have been worn. A garment of this fine quality might be perfumed[2].

Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. Arabe 5847, fol. 125, Maqâma 40 : Abû Zayd devant le cadi

Defining which Arabian wrap a person is looking at is no small undertaking. The large rectangular wrap-garments carried many names. They are defined by the size and adornment, fabric weight, and weave—and also by the way the garment is worn and who is wearing it[3]. On top of that many names for these wraps were used synonymously. 

A unique fabric exclusively used for a milhafa was called jallaya. The term loosely translates to “shiny” or “glossy” and it was a highly prized fabric according to the Geniza bridal trousseau records. Interestingly, jallaya fabric was only used for the milhafa according to those records[4]. It is from this description that I selected the fabric of my milhafa; it is a 90% linen, 10% metal blend and nearly sheer with a distinct glossy sheen.

The borders adorning the short ends of the garment (called mutarraf) depict a repeating motif of paired stylized peacocks dancing under the tree of life[5]. Each pair of peacocks is worked in a solid color of turquoise, red, green, or purple, using silk-ivory yarn and worked in both split stitch and satin stitch. The seams are flat felled and the hems are finished with a running catch stitch. The borders are applied with a modified slip stitch. The linen used for the borders is orange shot with red.

Samia's embroidery of peacocks

Birds were a popular motif among Islamic decoration, with the word “mutayyar” meaning “birded,” indicating that a fabric is adorned with birds[6]. The particular design for the mutarraf on this milhafa comes from an extant Fatimid textile fragment held in the Asmolean Museum[7]. Though Marianne Ellis in her 2001 publication indicated that this peacock fragment on linen ground was probably for furnishing she does not elaborate. Whereas Stillman notes that—although there is nearly identical overlap in the types of fabrics used for furnishing and clothing among the Geniza—linen appears rarely in the furnishing category and quite often among the clothing[8].

Extant image of peacocks.  Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, 1993.248

 

Variations from the extant peacock design occur in part because I chose to narrow the

complexity of the design (seen when comparing the tree of life between the extant fragment, above, and my milhafa, far above) and to lend better identification of the creatures as peacocks—by making the “eye” of the feather more pronounced and adding the feather crowns to each peacock[9]. The embroidery on the extant fragment is executed in silk. My choice for silk-ivory (a 50/50 blend of silk and wool) is simply because of easy availability of the product.

Mediterranean textile historians are blessed with the deserts of Egypt and the desiccated treasures held therein. Utilizing discoveries of the extant textiles used in the period under study in conjunction with written records and illuminated images, we can produce reasonable facsimiles of everyday items from period. As an armchair historian, I believe that I have brought together sufficient research and scholarship to showcase this milhafa as a garment for a Fatimid woman.

Samia and her partner.

---

[1] http://www.sca.org/sca-intro.html 1 December 2004.

[2] Stillman, Yedida K., Norman A. Stillman, ed. Arab Dress from the Dawn of Islam to Modern times: A Short History.  Boston: Brill, 2003, p 46.

[3] Stillman, Yedida K. Female Attire of Medieval Egypt: According to the Trousseau Lists and Cognate Material from the Cairo Geniza. PhD Dissertation. Unpublished: University of Chicago, 1972.

[4] Stillman, Yedida K. “New Data on Islamic Textiles from the Geniza.” David Waines, ed., Patterns of Everyday Life. (Series: The Formation of the Classical Islamic World, 10). Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Variorum, 2002.

[5] Stillman, 2002, pp. 205. “If a piece of cloth for a shawl or cloak had a single central colour with a different colour at each edge, it was called mutarraf--that is, like a horse whose head and tail are black and whose body is white, or vice versa.”

[6] Stillman, 1972, p. 42.

[7] Ellis, Marianne. Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt. University of Oxford, Ashmolean Museum: University of Oxford, 2001. Image 4, p. 15.

[8] Stillman, 1997, pp 38-39.

[9] The feather crown can be seen on peacocks on a silk woven fragment contemporary with the extant peacocks here. (Patricia Baker, Islamic Textiles. 1995, p 42).

Northwatch Article: Winter in Fatimid Cairo

Middle East Winter: An image of Cairo during the Middle Ages
Julia May (aka Samia al-Kaslaania)
October 2009

Cairo was a bustling metropolitan area during the Fatimid Caliphate (969-1171), with merchants arriving from all over the Mediterranean to trade goods, shop the market, and share news. As anywhere in the Middle Ages, urban living shifted with the seasons as much as rural life.

In the home, extra furniture such as curtains and rugs would come out of storage for the winter season. These would join the everyday couches (in this case a matched set of cushions and pillows without a wooden frame), draperies, carpets, and low tables. Additional multipurpose cushions in the home would be stacked next to the door, ready to serve as seating in the evening.

Evenings during the shorter winter days were illuminated by linseed oil, wax, or—for the wealthier families— the preferred olive oil [1]. Family time might be spent studying religious texts as it was a mark of pride for people of all ages to be able to quote from them; and such continuing education was also regarded as an act of devotion [2].

When they weren’t studying, children could be playing indoors with puppets, dolls, or board games such as chess and backgammon [3]. Women might be doing handicrafts which could be sold in the market, or perhaps mending a “Byzantine” bed cover, prized among the home’s possessions [4]. Adult men would be gathered in a different part of the house when hosting guests. They might play card games, talk philosophy, or discuss the thriving trade in the city.

When preparing for bed, cushions, mats, and blankets would be collected into the interior rooms. There were no designated “bedrooms” in urban Cairo homes during the Middle Ages, instead family members would spread out during the hot summer months to the windows and patios, and draw together during the chilly winter months. By the end of November most of the family would be sleeping in the smaller, inner rooms to conserve heat as it can at times get cold enough to put a transparent sheet of ice on water at night.

Rising in the morning, family members would stack their bedding neatly in the corner. Cushions used for seating would return to the main gathering rooms to be stacked next to the door. Men would prepare for working at their store in the market, and mothers would dress children neatly for school at the local mosque, church, or synagogue. Men would then accompany the children and attend morning prayers before starting their day. And so the work day would begin.

[1]Goitein, S.D. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol. 1. Berkley: Univ of California Press, 1967.
[2]Goitein, S.D. Vol. 2., 1971.
[3]Lindsey, James E. Daily Life in the Medieval Islamic World. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2005.
[4]Goitein, Vol. 1. Byzantine made, or made in the Byzantine style, bedcovers were an expensive item and listed in many Fatimid-era trousseaux.

Northwatch Article:Some examples of Fatimid Veiling

Some examples of Middle Eastern Veiling
copyright Julia May
(aka Samia al-Kaslaania)
November 2009

Clothing in the Middle Eastern city of Cairo was often a display of conspicuous consumption during the 11th to 13th Centuries. One of the greatest sources for displaying wealth was the headwear. In Medieval Egypt fully half of the clothing an individual owned was headwear, whether the owner was Jewish, Christian or Muslim [1]. While many of the head coverings found in period source can be defined through contemporary comparison or backwards-tracing etymology, several are still a mystery to modern researchers.

One of the core items for both men and women was the ma’raqa. This close fitting cap was the foundation for dressing the head. As the root word “sweat” indicates, it was used to protect the more expensive pieces from body soil*. Women would typically have two or three of them in their trousseau. The ma’raqa is the minimum that a man would appear in public wearing, and usually only if he were quite poor.

A basic and typical women’s head covering is the ‘isâba. This mini-turban is a cloth that is wound around the head to conceal the hair*. It is distinguished from the mi’jar, an elegant garment equivalent to the ‘imama (men’s turban) *. Gilded and/or brightly colored mi’jar appear to have been popular.

A popular shawl or scarf used to cover the head was a radda, which is often listed as matched to an ensemble. This veil might be adorned with borders, fringe, gilding, or embroidery*. The long and narrow cloth tied around the head to hold such veils in place is the taqnî’a*. The taqnî’a was often tied so that a loop poked out above the knot.

A mystery clothing item is the kuwâra. It means “beehive,” and the rare occurrences of this word in period documents only suggest that it is an item of headwear*. Another is the mukallaf. This expensive piece of women’s headgear came in a vast array of colors from “mandrake” to “pearl-colored”, which is distinguished from “white-grey,” to “apricot” and “pomegranate” *.

Only extreme circumstances, such as mourning the death of a loved one, would drive an urban woman out of her home with her hair exposed. Men would not be considered fully dressed until wearing a turban. Such modesty was a sign of respect for one’s faith and one’s family. It is difficult in our modern day to image placing such importance on clothing for the head, but it is an essential key to understanding the culture under study.

[1] All reference in this theme are to Stillman, Yedida K. Female Attire of Medieval Egypt: According to the Trousseau Lists and Cognate Material from the Cairo Geniza. PhD Dissertation. Unpublished: University of Chicago, 1972.

A&S 50: Food item seven: Spinach Tart Recipe

Spinach Tart, based on a 14th Century recipe
Redaction by Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
August 2009

After a few years of playing with ingredients, reading other’s redactions, and finding a few translations, the following recipe has emerged from my kitchen and has been approved by the Northshield Equestrians. Young beet leaves are difficult to find so I, like many others redacting this recipe, substitute spinach primarily. You could also use carrot greens, celery or lovage greens, or young sorrel, each with a different flavor. Dried chervil can be found at Pensey’s, and imparts an almost nutty flavor. Grains of Paradise, or Paradise Seed, can often be found at home brewing supply stores.

In the Middle Ages, this was probably a spring recipe eaten outside of fast days. It uses the first of the fresh greens the earth provides, along with milk (in the form of cheese and butter), which people relied on heavily during the period between end of winter and start of spring growth, and eggs which were an important protein staple of Medieval diets. --Samia

 Samia’s redaction (for a 9” pie pan)

6.5 oz spinach, washed and chopped
½ c parsley, washed and chopped
¼ c chervil, washed and chopped (or 1 T. dried)
6 eggs
11 oz, combined of two cheeses: Swiss and Romano-Asiago blend was very received
Powder fine to taste (below) (More than a teaspoon and less than a tablespoon)
Single pie crust

Preheat oven to 400 F. Pre-cook pie crust in pie pan for 10 minutes. Mix greens, cheese and everything else in a bowl. Reduce heat to 350 F, add filling to crust and bake about 40 minutes, or until the center is set.

Tip: leave the pie pan on the oven rack and add the filling in place. This avoid both handling the hot pan and sloshing the soupy mix.

Note: Buying a "bunch" of fresh spinach from the grocery store typically yields about 14 oz of spinach, so I usually just make a double batch for two tarts.

Source: Le Ménagier de Paris, J. Hinson (Trans.).
TO MAKE A TART, take four handfuls of beet-leaves, two handfuls of parsley, one handful of chervil, a bit of turnip-top and two handfuls of spinach, and clean them and wash them in cold water, then chop very small: then grate two kinds of cheese, that is one mild and one medium, and then put eggs with it, yolk and white, and grate them in with the cheese; then put the herbs in the mortar and grind them up together, and also add to that some powdered spices.

Source: Le Ménagier de Paris, J. Hinson (Trans.).
FINE POWDER of spices. Take an ounce and a drachma of white ginger, a quarter-ounce of hand-picked cinnamon, half a quarter-ounce each of grains[of Paradise] and cloves, and a quarter-ounce of rock sugar, and grind to powder.

Le Menagier De Paris is a medieval guidebook from 1393 on a woman's proper behavior in marriage and running a household. (Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_M%C3%A9n

agier_de_Paris/. Accessed August 31, 2009.)

A&S 50: Material Culture eleven: Hand stitched Fatimid-inspired Dress

Hand stitched Medieval Middle Eastern inspired dress
All rights reserved. Copyright Julia May. 
September 2009, revised August 2016


Description
This dress recreation is intended for a man or woman of the bourgeoisie class in Cairo during the Fatimid Caliphate (909-1171 C.E.). Judging from the descriptions of garments discussed the Cairo Geniza, I identify this garment as maqta’(1). The maqta’ is described as a common garment like the thawb, but available in a wider variety of prices and occasionally made in fabrics of more than one fiber.

Fabric Choice
The fabric I have used is composed of linen and silk, with one fiber shrinking more than the other post-production causing the seersucker effect. Seersuckers are known from at least the fourteenth century, the word deriving from a Persian root(2). Striped fabrics are known to have been used frequently in Middle Eastern clothing for both men and women(3). Further, records indicate that maqta’ were made in cotton-linen blends, silk alone and linen alone.

photo credit: Elashava bas Riva

Pattern Layout
The pattern I chose to use is copied from several extant sources(4). Although none of the examples included here date as early as the Fatimid period, we know that weaving technology and vanity advanced far beyond the typical early Coptic T-shaped tunic in that time. Further, tailored clothing was recorded as a mark of an urban-dweller in the Fatimid period, and fitted garments are listed among items in Fatimid trousseaux (5). We also know that this pattern is strikingly similar to contemporary European clothing. One could speculate this is either from a confluence of ideas, or the active Mediterranean-European trade system.

The striking difference between this and the typical European garment is the lack of fitted sleeves—rarely in the illuminations or extant pieces do garments for men or women have sleeves fitted to the wrist. In fact, there is some pictorial evidence for sleeves to grow wider as wealth increased and the need for personal manual labor decreased (personal servants were more common at higher income levels).

The slit neckline is typical of Mediterranean garments for several hundred years before, and at least one hundred years after the Fatimid period. The floor-reaching length of the garment, though rarely depicted, is discussed in trousseaux of the Fatimid periods as being reserved for more expensive garments(6). It is also the preference of the tall owner, ill at ease with seemingly too-short garments.

Construction
The dress is finished by hand with flat felled seams to control for unraveling fabric. There is extant evidence of this finishing technique in the Mamluk period(7). I used a locking running stitch, which is speedy and plain.

Completing the look
Both men and women would wear this garment over another in polite, city-dwelling society. It would itself be partially or fully covered by a wrap or coat when worn out of the home. It could be belted or not, adorned with pins or not. A necklace might be worn with matching earrings by a woman, or she might choose her matched set of wide bangle bracelets (one for each wrist). I have not discovered if a maqta’ is in the category of garment that would have a pair of coordinating shoes.

A head covering would be worn by both men and women, regardless of which of Peoples of the Book they identified with(8). For men, a garment of this quality would demand a turban (seldom do urban-dwelling men wear only a cap). For women, a variety of head coverings would be appropriate(9).


(1) Stillman, Yedida. _Female Attire of Medieval Egypt_. Dissertation, unpublished. 1972.
(2) Given that mine was flat until washing, I’m willing to believe that similar textured fabrics have been around as long as mixed woven-fiber fabrics.
(3) Stillman, Yedida K. “Textiles and Patterns Come to Life Through the Cairo Geniza”. Salim, Muhammad ‘Abbas Muhammad, et. al. _Riggisberger Berichte 5: Islamische Textilkunst des Mittelalters: Aktuelle Probleme_. Aberg-Stiftung: Riggisberg, 1997.; Andalusia, Hadith Bayad wa-Riyad, 12th Century, Vatican, Arabo 362. Image).
(4) Ellis, Marianne. _Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt_. Ashmolean Museum: University of Oxford, 2001. ; Syria, Materia Medica of Dioscurides, 1229, Two students & frontispiece. Iraq or Syria; Alphonso X's Book of Games (In Spanish: Libro de los Juegos" or "Libros del Axedrez, Dados et Tablas) commissioned between 1251 and 1282 A.D. by Alphonso X, King of Leon and Castile.; Baghdad, _Maqamat al-Hariri_, Late Eleventh to early Twelfth Centuries. Image.
(5) Stillman, 1972.
(6) Goitein, S.D. _A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza_, Vol. 1. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967.
(7) Ellis.
(8) Though the majority of the Fatimid Caliphate was known to welcome peacefully their Jewish and Christian neighbors (once they paid the appropriate tax), Islamic culture prevailed over all in dress and outdoor customs.
(9) Records in the Cairo Geniza show that fully half of the garments in each trousseau were head coverings.

A&S 50: Material Culture nine: Fatimid inspired modern embroidery

July 2009

This is a small project, but it required a lot of umph on my part. Since it's a break-through accomplishment I'm including it in this project list.

I took Arabic modern text and rewrote it in a period Fatimid script. Converting to the period script has been my hang up. "I don't know the lettering or the special characters; I don't have a handle on the spacing or extra artistic fluff."  I gave it a try anyway and added it to the under dress of the Walnut-husk Brown Ensemble. The dress is so light weight that I've added it as court garb for camping.

I know from reading Kuhnel and Bellenger's Dated Tiraz that pieces in period were inconsistent, had bad spelling, and occasionally ended up illegible even to the experts. There is evidence that many pieces were inked by a calligrapher and probably stitched by someone else. There is evidence that the stitcher took liberties (sometime wild liberties) with the design, suggesting that they might have been illiterate, or simply and artist who knew his audience didn't care much as long as it looked like the expensive pieces being copied.

Textile evidence shows that tiraz were stitched directly to the fabrics, while pictorial evidence suggest they were stitched to a piece of fabric that was applied to the garments. It could be somewhere in between-- the written records indicate that the bourgeoisie class spent energy copying the expensive gifts bestowed by the caliph to the royal and noble classes (Goitein in A Mediterranean Society firmly calls out five economic classes). The extant fabrics we have could largely be representations of these copies.

My new tiraz was applied with couching. It is a period technique that gives me the control I wanted for the tight swirls of this design. The orange yarn is a linen 2-ply, couched with cotton sewing thread.  The hand or script is copied from two 10th C extant pieces that are representative of early Fatimid calligrahpy.The text is repeated once to better fill the space, another period practice. It appears only on the right arm of the garment at the bicep.

Unfortunately, the tiny photos here get some artifacts from the shot linen pictured.

A&S 50: Material Culture seven and eight: Walnut Brown attempted-Fatimid ensemble

Last week I entered this garb into the Baronial A&S competition and was selected as the annual Baronial A&S champion. That's pretty cool.

I have decided that, for the purposes of the A&S 50 Challenge, these are two pieces with the headgear taking extra time and documentation since it's a new style for me.
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Attempted Fatimid Medieval Middle Eastern Garb
“Walnut Husk Brown Ensemble”
All Rights Reserved. Copyright Julia May
April 2009
Revised September 2018

The clothing I present is an attempted re-creation of what might have been worn by a city-dwelling bourgeoisie class woman in Fustat (Old Cairo). It is likely a complete indoor outfit made entirely of linen and silk. The panel and gore construction pattern I use can be found in images from contemporary sources, and is my attempt at a fitted garment style that was more commonly seen in the city. Since it is also more flattering to my luxury shape, I use it exclusively.

The primary source of documentation for this outfit is Yedida Stillman’s translation of dozens of Fatimid bridal trousseaux from the Cairo Geniza, compiled in her doctoral dissertation [1].

Trade among Mediterranean groups was so routine that many items of clothing are worn commonly across the great sea. Indeed Yedida Stillman, pioneer in the work of Medieval Islamic dress, identifies a pan-Islamic style of dress in the whole region (excepting Persian clothing) [2]. Because of this great exchange, images of clothing can rightly come from what seems to be far-flung sources.

A&S 50: Food item six: Carrot Jam Recipe

Carrot Jam Recipe
Redaction Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
April 2009, revised May 2011

Two Original Recipes:

Carrot Jam
It is necessary to select fresh red carrots, to wash them, clean them and cut them as thinly as possible. Put them in a ceramic pot, add a little bit of honey, and cover them with water.  Cook them until they are soft, then strain off the water with a sieve and add a quantity of skimmed honey equal to that of the carrots. Mix in seasonings chosen from among pepper, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, cubeb, spikenard, mace, galangal, alosewood [aquilaria agallocha], saffron, and musk.  Cook it to thicken the carrot jam [jawarish]. Pour it into glass jars and consume it as needed.

Another Carrot Jam
Take some carrots, clean them, scrape them and crush them properly. Take two and a half measures of honey for every measure of carrots. Boil it for a little while and take off the fire.  Put the crushed carrots in a casserole [dast] without water; dry [them] a little bit over the fire, pour over them the filtered honey, and cook until it has thickened. Take it off the fire and season.

Kanz al-Fawai’ad fi tanwi’ al-mawa’id (“The Treasures of Useful Advice for the Composition of a Varied Table”).  13th C Egypt. Translated by M.B. DeBevoise. As it appears in Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World by Lilia Zaouali.

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Samia's Redaction

1 lb yellow carrots (often found in the organic section of groceries)
1/3c honey (using single source honeys will produce different flavors)
9 oz honey

Use a combination of spices, equaling about 2 teaspoons:
½ t. cubebs
½ t. galangal
1 t. cinnamon (cassia)


Wash, peel, and slice the carrots. Add these to a 3 ½ qt pot with 1/3 c honey and just cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer for 40 minutes (it stopped smelling like cooked carrots and began to smell like sweet corn). Drain (you can reserve the cooking water for stock), push through a potato ricer, and return them to the pot. Alternately, send them through a food processor before cooking. Spoon about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of cooked carrots at a time into a linen towel and squeeze out the excess liquid.

Add spices, 9 oz. of honey, heat to a simmer and cook down to a jam.


Serve this with hummus and pita bread.

A&S 50: Food item five: Middle Ages hummus recipe

Period hummus recipe : Puree of Chickpeas with Cinnamon and Ginger
redaction Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
April 2009

Cook the chickpeas in water, then mash them in a mortar to make a puree. Push the puree through a sieve for wheat, unless it is already fine enough, in which case this step is not necessary. Mix it then with wine vinegar, the pulp of pickled lemons, and cinnamon, pepper, ginger, parsley of the best quality, mint, and rue that have all been chopped and placed on the surface of the serving dish [zubdiyya]. Finally, pour over a generous amount of oil of good quality.

Kanz al-Fawai’ad fi tanwi’ al-mawa’id (“The Treasures of Useful Advice for the Composition of a Varied Table”). 13th C Egypt. Translated by M.B. DeBevoise. As it appears in Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World by Lilia Zaouali.


1 can Chickpeas, heated and liquid reserved
4 Pickled lemons (about the size of a key lime) and 3 T. white wine vinegar
OR
½ of a pickled Meyer’s Lemon (they have more juice and don’t need the vinegar)
1 t. Cinnamon
1 t. Pepper or long pepper
1/2 t. Ginger
¼ c fresh parsley
6 leaves fresh mint
Scant ¼ c fresh rue
Sesame oil (pale, untoasted Middle Eastern oil, *not* toasted Asian oil)

Roll the cooked chickpeas around in your hands to loosen the skins. Submerge them in water again and swish to let the skins float off. A food processor will pulverize the remaining skins. Halve tiny lemons and mash the pulp with your thumbs over a fine mesh strainer to catch the seeds. Zest the lemons if desired and discard the rind. Add the liquids and dry spices to the chickpeas. Blend in a food processer until it is a fine consistency. If it is too dry, add the chickpea liquid or more vinegar (to taste). Stir in the chopped greens and allow to sit, covered and refrigerated, for several hours for the flavors to blend.
Layer chopped fresh rue on the bottom of the serving plate, put the puree on top and create a well in the middle. Pour sesame oil in the well and over the rest of the hummus.Bring to room temperature and drizzle with sesame oil to taste. Serve with flat bread or veggies for dipping.

This image shows the chickpeas in the bowl, the skins next to it, and the pickled lemons in front. I found a jar of the pickled lemons at a Mediterranean grocery in Minneapolis. I hate peeling chickpeas, but it makes for an awesome puree.

Clearly the biggest difference between this and modern hummus is the lack of tahini (sesame seeds crushed to the consistency of peanut butter). Pickled lemon, of course, has a different flavor than fresh lemon. The other differences is the change in spices. Instead of olive oil we have raw sesame oil (giving us the hint of tahini flavor) and four spices not seen in modern hummus. Rue has an extraordinary flavor that must be experiences to understand-- fresh rue is clearly preferred. The cinnamon and ginger are well suited to the chickpea flavor.  

I pureed it in a food processor, using the chickpea liquid to thin the paste to the desired consistency. I haven't decided if the parsley, mint and rue are place on the surface of the dish, or mixed in. I tried mixing this one in and it resulted in a good flavor, but I didn't have the fresh herbs I would have preferred.

A&S 50: Food item four: A molded and fried pastry

This was a great success! I owe a big thank you to Iohanna for pointing me to this cookbook, and to Katriona, and Ivetta for loaning me the rosette irons. I really enjoyed making these, and I entered them into the Spring Coronation A&S Feast this past April.

"A molded and fried pastry" 
Rosette recipe from the Renaissance
 Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
April 2009

As it appears in Das Kuchbuch der Sabrina Welserin, translated by Valoise Armstrong, 1998, recipe # 88. This is a German cookbook dated 1553.

Translated original recipe:
"Take eight eggs and beat them well and pour them in a sieve and strain them, put a little wine with it, so that it goes through easily, the chicken embryo remaining behind. Afterwards stir flour into it, until you think that it is right. Do not make the batter too thick. Dip the mold in with proper skill and let them fry, then it is well done. Salt the eggs.”  [Footnote by translator:] The molds for these pastries are still available and consist of a decorative metal shape attached to the end of a long rod. The mold is dipped in to the batter and then into hot fat.

Special Equipment:
-Rosette Iron (I prefer the handle with a double end for attaching two rosettes at a time).
-1 quart casserole dish (small, square and flat bottomed with just enough room to accommodate the double iron)
- 9" cast iron skillet (it has just enough room to accommodate the double iron)
-Candy/ deep fry thermometer

Ingredients:
Eggs
about ¼ C red wine
½ C flour
1 t. salt
1 ½ pounds of lard
Sweet or savory spices

Makes about 2 dozen

Heat the lard in the 9” cast iron skillet.  Using a candy/deep fry thermometer bring the temperature to a constant 350°F to 375°F.* On my stove this is gas mark 4. This process took about half an hour to get the temperature stable.  Note that lard smokes at about 400°F.  *In this shallow pan, after making your first set of pastries, the thermometer will fluctuate in this range, rising when you add the batter-covered irons and falling as you remove them.


While the lard is heating, beat the eggs with the wine. The result will be an ugly grey color but that’s fine: once cooked the pastries will be a golden brown. Run the mixture through a sieve into the square casserole dish. Using a whisk, blend in flour a little at a time until you get the consistency of heavy cream.  Some flour lumps are ok.

Be sure the irons are thoroughly dry before proceeding (otherwise the oil will spatter the first time you immerse them). If using a double rosette iron handle, set the irons flat on the counter and adjust the tightness until the irons are even with each other. 

When the fat is at temperature, dip the irons in the fat for about 30 seconds.  Lift the irons and allow the excess fat to run off. Dip the hot irons in the batter (the batter will sizzle).  Be careful that the batter does not rise over the top of the irons, this would make them impossible to get off cleanly when they're done cooking. Lift the irons out of the batter-- the batter should not drip or run off the irons (add more flour if it does, and do not cook the batter on the irons-- it would just make your cooking fat grungy). Immediately dip the irons in the fat and cook until the bubbling slows down and they are a light golden color. The color will deepen slightly as they cool.

Gently slid the pastries off the irons with a wooden spoon, and flip them over to drain on paper towels. Season as you wish while still hot. These pastries have an eggy flavor that will accommodate either sweet or savory spices.  I have used the following combinations: a sprinkle of rose water, Ceylon cinnamon, and powdered sugar; or Italian spices (basil, oregano, garlic, and parsley). Orange flower water would be good, as would honey.

Interestingly, all of the modern recipes for rosette pastries that I can find include milk instead of wine.

A&S 50: Food item three:Qunice Drink Syrup Recipe

This one was well loved at Haire Affaire! I clearly need to make more. I think it would also work well with pears and peaches. This is quince after cooking:

Quince Sekanjabin Syrup Recipe
Redaction by Julia May aka Samia al-Kaslaania
April 2009

This is a fabulous hot weather electrolyte drink. Though the vinegar might cause trepidation, by keeping this on the heat for so long the acid from the vinegar is boiled off leaving just the flavor behind. Quince is a fruit in the same family as apple and pear. Their color will change to a bright golden orange when cooking. The juice of the limes is subtle, and the rose water can be striking for palates not accustomed to it. Go sparingly on both until you know your camp will appreciate the added flavors. Travel with it in the concentrated form and either mix it in a pitcher or in each glass as it’s needed.

ORIGINAL RECIPE: “Take some quince, peel them, pit them, and cook them in water. When they have become tender it means that they are half cooked. Take them off of the fire and reserve the cooking liquid. Dissolve some sugar in this liquid and add vinegar. Then, the moment it begins to thicken, throw in the quinces and bring them to a boil once or twice. Then take them off the fire, and add the juice from one or two limes, and scent with rose water. “

Kanz al-Fawai’ad fi tanwi’ al-mawa’id (“The Treasures of Useful Advice for the Composition of a Varied Table”). 13th C Egypt. Translated by M.B. DeBevoise. Found in: Zaouali, Lilia. Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World, 2007.


5 lbs quince (peaches are a good seasonal substitute)
2-3 lbs cane sugar (brown or white)
1 c. apple cider vinegar (optional)
Two limes (optional)
3 T to ¼ c. rose water (optional)

Wash fruit and cut quince into wedges, coring like an apple. If using peaches, pit them and cut into wedges. Put fruit into a large pot and cover with water 2 cups at a time, then add an equal amount of sugar. Add vinegar and heat the pot, stirring constantly until the sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes until liquid is reduced to a syrup. The syrup is reduced enough to be shelf stable when it coats a spoon like cough syrup once cooled. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before adding lime juice and rose water (to taste). Strain out the fruit, pressing lightly to extract more of the syrup. Store in tightly closed containers. Reconstitute to taste, beginning with 1:6 syrup to water ratio.

I believe the peel of the fruit gives a nice flavor, so I don’t peel mine. I don’t know how that affects the humors of the drink though, which would have been a serious consideration in period. I believe that the first removal from the fire in the original is a tool for quickly dissolving the added sugar without burning it. Bringing it to boil a second time gives you more evaporation time when you can’t set your fire to gas mark 4 for a controlled simmer.

This is quince before cooking. The color change tells you it's ready to eat if you were making a simple quince candy.  This recipe cooks it past that stage and it looses much integrity.

A&S 50: Food item two: Failed candied citron recipe

What I got was a caramelized mess. I tried to spread it out on the marble slab to cut candies, but it got rock hard! I wonder if I should let it thicken at a lower temperature?


Candied Citron Peel recipe

Take peels of citron, immerse them in salted water to eliminate the bitterness, then rinse them in fresh water and lay them out to dry. Cut them into pieces.  Take a pound and a quarter of sugar and as much honey and blend them together in a casserole [dast] that one puts on the fire.  Skim and throw in the peels. Let it thicken Before taking it off the fire add some ginger, long pepper, Chinese cinnamon, and mastic. If the syrup becomes quite thick it will be very good.

Kanz al-Fawai’ad fi tanwi’ al-mawa’id (“The Treasures of Useful Advice for the Composition of a Varied Table”).  13^th C Egypt. Translated by M.B. DeBevoise. As it appears in Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World by Lilia Zaouali.

Citron peels
Salt
Sugar
Honey
Ginger
Long pepper
Cassia Cinnamon
Mastic

A&S 50: Material Culture six: Indoor Hareem

It's not period, but my goal with this track is to create a more period persona and that includes the environment. Creating a separate space-- even though it's not as separate as a harem would have been in period-- evokes the Islamic world and reminds us that we are in a locality when we are dressed up in our garb. My hareem adds to the flare of the activity and helps make that transition from the modern world for participants and onlookers.

In period, the harem was a inviolable physical space where men from outside the family were not allowed. In larger household it could a separate wing, building or suite. In poorer households it could be a curtain or screen that was erected when male guests were in the house (Goitein). In my colonial home I envision it blocking off the dining room (and, thus, kitchen) from view. Or it could be the entire upstairs.

The image of the harem as a sexually charged environment comes from the 19th C ethnographers who only imagined what was happening with multiple wives in the rooms they were not allowed. In reality it was the family space where one could "let her hair down" and not fear inappropriate exposure. Children could play with their toys and be noisy, and pedestrian activities like hand crafts and grooming took place.

My hareem still needs some work. I want to find 30/60 PVC joints so I can make it 4 feet shorter. I want to put hand holds in the "feet" so they're easier to carry around as well. It is, now, exactly what I planned when I started though, and the changes are being made as they prove useful.
 *************************

Indoor Peri-oid structure
Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
February 2009

The roof is a Persian-inspired gold w/ floral motif. The walls are coral colored silk twill ($3 silk from SR Harris, baby!). The roof structure is PVC and the uprights are oak dowels. The "feet" are square boards with a pipe flange and pipe-nipple. (Give your ear and let me expound about the value of a pipe-nipple!) The footprint is 7'6" square, and the pyramid is lifted 6' off the ground.

This is the first time I was able to put it up. I couldn't do a "fitting" for  the roof and PVC structure at home because we don't have a place big enough to set it up. I'm really glad I didn't try to fudge it too, because we learned that the square on the bottom of the pyramid needs to be in sleeves for it to be stable. I will also be adding a valance of the roof fabric, and a "sub valance" to hang the "walls" from.

I have a low octagonal table to use (a gift from my dad and his wife), and a fabric "table cloth" (actually used under the table in period so that the crumbs were caught and could be tossed outside).  We'll need a few more cushions too.

Now that I have set it up once I am comfortable making the bags to contain all the parts. I didn't want to do that until I knew we had all the right parts! Checheyigan had some canvas that was no longer associated with a project which will be the bags for this.

The PVC and oak were $85. The pipe flanges and nipples were $25. The feet used about 1/4 of an $24 sheet of wood= $6. The fabric was $85 (a steal). The total is about $215. (I know I'm missing something from the list).

A&S 50: Material Culture five: Middle Eastern dress, shot blue wool with embroidery

Middle Eastern-Inspired Tunic with heart-shaped “embroidered necklace”
Julia May, aka Sayyeda Samia al-Kaslaania
Presented at Spring Coronation, April 2009
Revised 2018


Since making this garment, my research has continued. I have identified a research flaw, likely driven by enthusiasm, that I have noticed affects people who research and re-create items earlier than the Renaissance.

We want to make clothing and objects from "Time Period M". There is not a wealth of extant objects from Period M, but some written descriptions. So we expand our research to Periods L and N. Period L gives us some ballpark ideas, but Period N looks a lot like Period M; it's got some of the same descriptions, and there are a few more extant images. So cool! As my coach points out, Period N, being later than Period M, does not provide documentation for Period M.

The problem happens when we leave the title of paper as "Object from Time Period M". It's our best estimate of what might be worn/done in Period M, but what we're really documenting is "A possible object from Period N". We can talk about the plausable reasons for it to be used in Period M, but we still can't document it beyond Period N.

That's what happened with this paper and object 10 years ago. I wanted to wear Fatimid-style recreation clothing. I was gifted the beautiful book written by Marianne Ellis, and I had access to an incredible inter-library loan program.

But what I documented is tunic with Mamluk period style embroidery. It can't be documented to the Fatimid period. It's two doors down, chronologically speaking, and even in the same location. But my enthusiasm carried me away. I'll edit this, and many other articles, on my blog and hopefully correct some of the mis-information I've inadvertently spread.

Image: Completed dress

Description
This dress is intended for a re-creation of clothing for a Fatimid Mamluk Egyptian woman [note: but it doesn't succeed at recreating *Fatimid* clothing]. It is a full length gown of a shot blue-green wool-silk blend, finished with flat-felled seams. It is adorned with a heart motif “embroidered necklace”, as can be seen on Islamic textiles of the period, and decorative bands. [Note: Corrected because each of the elements can be found, but this is not an exact copy].

The heart motif comes from three images dated to the Mamluk period of Egypt, called out in Ellis at the Ashmolean Museum, accession numbers EA1984.89, EA1993.230, and EA1993.229. All of these are Mamluk textile fragments with variations of of the heart theme.

The item EA1984.353 is an extant tunic (more details below) with a sort of necklace motif around the neck opening, however the neck opening on that garment is faced front slit opening to a round neck hole.

The slit neckline comes from an image discussed below. The re-creation neckline is plausibly period, but can only be documented by piecemeal.

My flawed research progress was driven by comments like this:

"There was very little difference between the wardrobe of a Fatimid or Ayyubid lady, and that of her Mamluk descendant (fig.53), that is as far as can be gauged from the vocabulary; the terms and the contexts in which they are used do not differ. Perhaps the cut of 14th and 15th century mi'zar (wrap), the sirwal, the qamis was identical to that of earlier garments, perhaps not. It seems unlikely that the design and appearance of such items remained static for four or five hundred years." --Baker dissertation, p 177. [1.1]

"Fashions in dress, as in aesthetic and intellectual modes, tend to migrate within the Islamic oikoumene. This migration can be traced to some extent from Arabia and later Iraq to Egypt, and thence to North Africa and Spain." -- Stillman dissertation, page ci.

Pattern Layout
The panel and gore pattern I chose to use is copied from several extant sources [1]. Although none of the examples included here date as early as the Fatimid period [Note: it can be dated to the Mamluk period [1.1]], we know that weaving technology and vanity advanced far beyond the typical early Coptic T-shaped tunic. Further, tailored clothing was recorded as a mark of an urban-dweller in the Fatimid period, and fitted garments are listed among items in Fatimid trousseaux [2]. We also know that this pattern is strikingly similar to contemporary European clothing. One could speculate this is either from a confluence of ideas, or the active Mediterranean-European trade system.

Image: Illumination to an Arabic translation of "De Materia Medica" by Dioscorides, made for Shams ad-Din Abu'l Fada'il Muhammad, copied in Northern Iraq or in Syria, 1229. Topkapi Sarayi Muzesi, Istanbul, Ahmet III, 2127.
Note boat-style neckline on the man on the left and distinct cut of the pattern on the man on the right. 

The striking difference between this and a European garment is the lack of fitted sleeves—rarely in the illuminations or extant pieces do garments for men or women have sleeves fitted to the wrist [Note: fitted wrists are more common than I first thought]. In fact, there is some pictorial evidence for sleeves to grow wider as wealth increased and the need for personal manual labor decreased (likely because personal servants were more common at higher income levels).

The slit neckline is typical of Mediterranean garments for several hundred years before, and at least one hundred years after the Fatimid period (as seen in the illumination housed at the Topkapi, above.) [Note: the image above is concurrent with the later Ayyubid period in Cairo, not the Fatimid period. Again, this provides for the documentation of the Mamluk period]. The floor-reaching length of the garment, though rarely depicted, is discussed in trousseaux of the Fatimid periods as being reserved for more expensive garments [3].

image: Alphonso X's Book of Games (In Spanish: Libro de los Juegos" or "Libros del Axedrez, Dados et Tablas) commissioned between 1251 and 1282 A.D. by Alphonso X, King of Leon and Castile. This is from Spain. Note color and length of garment, full sleeves; veils.


Adornment
For background: With the notable exception of Persian clothing, there is a strong argument for a pan-Islamic style of dress in this period [4]. This is supported by the considerable documentation of trade in the region—not only of textiles, but also of ideas and thinkers. Fatimid fashionplates were known to copy the styles of Andalusian leatherwork, Syrian silk weaving, Yemeni ikats, and Baghdadi adornment [5]. Using traded textiles and copying styles of dress is not a long reach for proof [Note: but, it's still not documentation, it just makes it plausible].

The placement of bands of decoration at the cuffs and hem are typical of Islamic dress of the Middle Ages, and can be spotted on contemporary illuminations [6]. See accompanying images. [note: this book is packed at the moment, but this citation needs improving].

The embroidered motif is inspired from an extant piece dated to the Mamluk period (the Mamluks conquer the Fatimids in 1171) [7]. This style of “embroidered necklace” features a heart, which had none of the love and Valentine’s Day connotation that it carries today. It was simply a motif in Islamic Egypt. [Note: this sentence suggests that there is an extant heart embroidered around a neckline-- bad language because it's not true. My product is the one that looks like this].

Some garments are listed in trousseaux of Fatimid brides are described as long sleeved and having a fine weight, as well as decorated with both embroidery and borders [8]. [Note: an image of an extant tunic, released with the Naqlun textile finds supports this more: Fig 3. Cuff ornament on a tunic sleeve (note that it's a narrow cuff) (Nd.04.223) (Photo W. Godlewski). Based on the quote from Baker earlier, it's plausible to use this information to support the creation of a Mamluk-style dress.

A particular type of fancy women’s garment is noted for its length—to the floor rather than the ankles.

Fabric choice

Shot fabrics, or cross-woven fabrics, are discussed numerous times in the trousseaux of the Cairo Geniza. They are characterized by the warp and weft being of different colors. The silk-wool blend of the fabric would be a typical use for conserving the expensive silk, and may have been known as mulham by the Fatimids [9]. Fatimid Egypt was both an importer and exporter of wool [9.2], and given that this went hand-in-hand with milk and cheese production, one can believe it would continue into the Mamluk period.

Image: Copied from Ellis. Child's Tunic, Mamluk period, late 14th-early 15th century, radio carbon date 1390+-35. Ashmolean Museum of Oxford, Accession number EA1984.353. In the same book, a line drawing of similar garment, which appears to be of adult proportions, with gussets under the arms, is dated to the Mamluk period 1250-1517., Accession number EA1993-90.

Completing the look
A dress like this likely would be worn over a base layer, or under tunic and pants (which may or may not have decorated cuffs [Note: the decorative cuffs can also be documented to the Mamluk period]). It could be worn belted or not. It might have shoes to match it, and it would have head coverings to compliment it, the simplest being a square veil tied on the head with a decorated strip of fabric (see image of woman in blue dress above [Note: this image above is from Al-Andalus, not the Fatimid period or location, and is dated concurrent with the Mamluk period. However, Stillman in Arab Dress, page 145, calls out that in Al-Andalus "not all free urban women went about veiled all of the time".]). A rectangular overwrap, or a coat would also be worn with this outside of the house. [9.1] Jewelry would consist of a minimum of earrings and finger rings, and likely a pair of bracelets. I do not know if a woman would wear an “additional” necklace with this dress. Again, this completed look comes from Fatimid trousseaux, and can plausibly be applied to the Mamluk period in Cairo.

It is interesting to note that there appears to be very little difference in how people dressed between the three faiths in Egypt (Islam, Judaism, and Christianity) [10]. The same head coverings would be worn across the board in the Fatimid period.

Image: Ellis at the Ashmolean Museum, accession numbers EA1993.230,  http://jameelcentre.ashmolean.org/object/EA1993.230


[1.1] Baker, Patricia L. "A History of Islamic Court Dress in the Middle East." Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Arts), School of Oriental & African Studies, University of London, 1986.

[1.2] Stillman, Yedida. Female Attire of Medieval Egypt. Dissertation, unpublished. 1972.

[1] Ellis, Marianne. Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt. Ashmolean Museum: University of Oxford, 2001. ; Alphonso X's Book of Games (In Spanish: Libro de los Juegos" or "Libros del Axedrez, Dados et Tablas) commissioned between 1251 and 1282 A.D. by Alphonso X, King of Leon and Castile.; Baghdad, Maqamat al-Hariri, Late Eleventh to early Twelfth Centuries.


[2] Stillman, Yedida. Female Attire of Medieval Egypt. Dissertation, unpublished. 1972.

[3] Goitein, S.D. A Mediterranean Society:The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza, Vol 1. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967.

[4] Stillman, Yedida. Norman Stillman, ed. Arab Dress: A Short History. Brill:Leiden. 2001.

[5] Goitein.; Stillman, 1972.

[6] Guthrie, Shirley. Arab Social Life in the Middle Ages. Saqi Books:London, 1995. (The Deserted wife and child, pp 153)

[7] Ellis.

[8] Stillman, 1972.

[9] Goitein.

[9.1] Stillman, Yedida. Female Attire of Medieval Egypt. Dissertation, unpublished. 1972, page 222. "For underwear, a woman in medieval Egypt may wear a pair of drawers (sirwal-- fn. like shoes, sirwal are never mentioned in the trousseau lists for the sake of propriety) tied with a draw string (tikka) and long shirt (qamis) or a light tunic (either the plain or gossamery, gilded ghilala. Over the undergarments came a long tunic (e.g. a badan) which might be either with or without sleeves. Over these two light shifts would be worn a robe of which there were several kinds, namely the jukaniyya, the qajija, the makhtuma, or again a ghilala. Each of these came in a variety of fabrics ranging from light cotton and linen to silks and brocades, as well as in numberous colors, decorations and other embellishments. Around the waist would come a belt or sash (wasat or khasi or an apron (futa)."

[9.2]  Goitein SD. A Mediterranean Society: The Jewish Communities of the Arab World as Portrayed in the Documents of the Cairo Geniza. Vol. 1. Berlkey and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1967, 105.

[10] Stillman, Yedida K. Arab Dress from the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times: A Short History. Edited by Norman A. Stillman. Boston: Brill, 2003, page 143. "The Geniza trousseau lists make it eminently clear that by Fatimid times, veiling was as basic for Jewish women (and one might suppose for Middle Eastern Christian women too) as it was for Muslims contrary to the assertions of some historians..."


Stillman, 1972. “Silk woven with another fiber” as distinguished from marwazf, probably silk woven with cotton.

A&S 50: Material Culture four: Tablet woven, Windhaven-y

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
February 2009

After showing off the previous tablet woven belt my Baroness asked if I would make a second to include in her basket for the newly invested Baron of Windhaven.

This is made with 20 cards, 4 border and 16 body. It's woven with Harrisville wool weaving yarn (my lovey $20/ 8oz or "three belts" yarn) in light blue, indigo blue and maize yellow. The ends are corded, and un-trimmed in this picture.  It ended up at almost 10 feet long. Certainly long enough for us luxury sized people! (which was my goal).  I included direction for cutting off the unfinished end and using that for cuffs.

It is with this project that I have decided that weaving is only a sick project. I was feeling much better when I wove this, and I had to force myself to sit down and finish it.

A&S 50: Material Culture three: Felted pouch, compass star

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
February 2009

The first pouch I made several years ago while teaching a felting class. The wool is Harrisville, the tablet woven trim is pearl cotton (made by my honey and usurped from a different project), and the embroidery is a silk/ivory worked in chain stitch. The tabletweaving serves as a shoulder strap. The motifs are felted into the body fabric.

I had no intentions other than "something cool" when I made it, and I expected that it was not suitably period. However, Eithni assures me that it is in keeping with traditional Celtic motifs.

The second pouch is an A&S50 project. It's a wool roving [that I have to look up when I go down to move the laundry around again], purchased at the State Fair. The embroidery is silk/ivory worked in chain stitch, the tablet weaving is pearl cotton. The yellow body of the star is felted in, but looking closely you can see that it's fairly lopsided. The stitching is what really keeps the shape there. I didn't like working with this wool. It has a spongy texture when felted which is surprisingly transparent--and was difficult to full into shape.

The red one weighs probably three times as much as the plain one (despite being about the same size), indicating the break I took in felting. :) The red is one of the first things I made after a break of several years. The goal to "cover all the gaps" when laying out the roving was excessive. The plain one is probably thinner than it should be, but it's functional and will comfortably hold a camera or a wallet.

A&S 50: Material Culture two: Tabletwoven belt, blue and blue

Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
January 2009

This is a tablet woven belt in two colors of Harrisville wool yarn. It took about 12 hours to warp and weave the belt. From woven edge to woven edge it is 82 inches long (much longer than expected). I used continuous warp, switching off two balls of dark blue for two of light blue to change from borders to body. The cards were threaded with colors side-by-side, rather than opposing, making it suitable for either broad diagonals (Egyptian diagonals in my case) or double faced weaving. Diagonals create a characteristic jigity pattern on the back. I simply made random choices about which design followed the next. I safely avoided the trap of "something creative" at the end when I was bored with it (let me show you my fisheye-heart on the old belt sometime).

In the close up you can see the error that I was not inclined to back out. It's right above the C on the card included for scale. I'm particularly proud of the fish tail ending I did, complete with fish-shaped ending to the weaving. I'll be cording the loose fringe on it.

While tablet weaving usually shrinks from the twist by about 30% in my experience (100 inches of warp will yield 70 inches of weaving), this project did not do that. The wool appears to have stretched while it was on the loom. I'm debating washing it in a laundry bag to see if it shrinks, but I don't want to lose width. Otherwise I'll cut off more of the starting end to make it a proper length.

A&S 50: Material Culture one: Garters, 13th C

 Julia May, aka Samia al-Kaslaania
January 2009

Garters for hosen to accompany a houppelande. Oswald helped me warp them and I had them finished that night in a few hours, along with the rest of the warped thread so that it didn't go to waste (about 14"). They're silk/ivory from Brown Paper Packages in Kentucky (purchased at the local embroidery shop). The colors are "mud puddle brown", "merlot" and "cayenne" (item numbers 154, 44, 68). They're somewhere between "1970s" and "autumnal" when you get up close.

Eight skeins produced two pair and cost about $40 in materials. The few yards of leftover yarn will be used to embroider on a pouch that is also decorated with the leftover trim mentioned above.

Six center cards with four border cards. The woven part is 17" long (for my luxury sized calves) and 1/2" wide. The ties are about 6" (corded rather than braided).



Additional information from garters made the year previous:

Garters for a 13^th Century French Noblewoman

Julia May aka Samia al-Kaslaania

August 2008

Women’s stockings of the 13^th Century were cut from woven fabric and fitted to the leg below the knee. Different from our modern comforts, medieval socks did not keep themselves up. Garters were tied or belted above the calf and below the knee, over the sock to cinch it in place. Excess fabric above that point could be rolled or folded down to keep everything in place.

These new garters are tablet woven in a continuous warp of 12 cards with a two card border, for a total of 16 cards, making a ½ inch wide band. The textile chosen was a 2-ply 50% silk 50% wool blend.  

Though many tablet woven textiles currently exhibited from the 12^th to 14^th Centuries are brocaded, numerous others are worked in the traditional warp-faced patterns. [Crowfoot 131] This diamond/chevron pattern was selected 1) to accommodate the scale of the 16 card project and 2) because it resembles an extant 14^th Century textile in the broad diagonal (as opposed to double-faced) style.  The extant piece has two border cards (per side) which are opposing S- and Z-twist, and this design element was copied on the modern version here. Also copied from the original, the remainder of the cards are faced to accommodate the broad diagonal style.

The wool-silk blend has the strength of silk as a warp, but the quick-felting, and difficult-to-clear shed properties of wool. I believe that both protein fibers provide the depth to the colors, but the wool will give some extra “traction” in keeping the hosen in place. This fiber blend is easy to procure in the Twin Cities, and is familiar to the artist. Both silk and wool were used for tablet woven textiles in the Middle Ages, and mixed fiber textiles were common [Crowfoot 127].

The colors were selected to coordinate with the other garb, blue to compliment the green hosen and cranberry to compliment the gown, with white borders for an extra “pop”. The medium blue could have been achieved with woad. Techniques too numerous to count (including insects, plant material and fungus) were used to achieve variations-on-a-theme of royal purple throughout the Middle Ages.

Crowfoot, Elisabeth, Frances Pritchard, Kay Staniland. Textiles and Clothing : Medieval Finds from Excavations in London, c.1150-c.1450. Boydell Press: London, 1992.