Burqa

Burqa

Burqa

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Burqa is a face coverage popular among the women who live in the marginal areas of the Persian Gulf especially in Hormozgan province. Burqa is an Arabic word and its last letter Q (ق) is pronounced like K (ک) in the local dialect of Hormozgan people and that is why they call it Borka as well. People in the western cities of Hormozgan name it Batile, too. There are different kinds of Burqa; some are large and wide covering the entire face with just two holes for two eyes; while some others are narrow and strand-like covering some part of eyes and eyebrows. This veil has been using in the region since the past and evolving through generations until today. Types of Burqa are different by the region and based on the climatic, ideological, social and cultural differences. Women use Burqa for several reasons including Hijab, protecting their skin against the sun light, keeping unanimous in some occupations like peddling and also for decoration. The most famous Burqa are of three types named thread Burqa, fabric Burqa and Shileh Burqa. The first one is mostly crafted in Kuh Mobarak village, located in the western Jask town, in the east of the province. Locals call it Gol-o-Towf which means like flower and storm. It has a square form with symmetrical composition while its focus point is the eyes of the women who wears it. It seems like all efforts for fabricating this beautiful item aim at appreciating the beauty of eyes. Every stitch which is embroidered using red thread on the black field in this handicraft is called Kaal. When they are placed next to each other, they produce lines named Zereh. Kaals and Zerehs altogether make a texture on Burqa giving a spectacular visual appearance to it. Zerehs are typically seen in red and green. There is an old belief among the people of the region that bathing in the sea on Wednesdays is effective in removing the disasters resulted from the evil eye. Therefore, they pour the water of sea into a container hanging it in the yard of the house in order to use its spiritual effects. According to this belief, they decorated the Burqa with the motif of evil eye in white and blue. 


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