Traditional Attire of the People of Azarbaijan

Customs of Iran

The change in lifestyle has affected all aspects of human life. Clothing is one of these aspects that has tended towards homogeneity. Not so long ago, every city and village and every culture had its own clothes that manifested certain aspects of the life of its people, but today these aspects have, more or less, faded away. The local traditional attire of the people of Azerbaijan has been no exception and today it may be used only in some special ceremonies among certain rural people of this part of the country.

With the view to preserve the traditional clothing of East Azarbaijan Province, the skill of sewing local and traditional clothes of this province was inscribed on the list of Iran’s intangible national heritage in the year 2013.

Characteristics of Different Types of Traditional Attire of East Azarbaijan

Perhaps the first every tourist observes in the culture of the place he/she visits is the clothing of the people. Therefore, clothing plays an important role in introducing a culture that it has emerged from. The traditional local attire of East Azarbaijan is of two types of the Shahsavani and Arsbaran clans. Although the men’s clothing of these two clans does not have much complexity, women’s clothing, which is still quite popular, especially in nomadic areas, includes a pleated skirt and a large scarf.

East Azarbaijan Women’s Clothing

Women’s clothes of this province usually have a bright and floral background. The variety of these clothes is manifested in the type, sewing, decoration, and ornaments used in them. The type of fabric used in sewing clothes depends upon a person’s financial ability. Kudori, muslin, chit, fustian, fastone, daryakanar, utmasinar, ainagoli or sequin fabric, velvet, silk, and silk are usually the kinds of fabrics that are used in sewing these clothes.

The traditional local attire of East Azarbaijan women comprises three parts: headwear, main dress, and sandals. Scarf, shawl, headband, and colored chador are the most important coverings in this type of clothing.

Women’s attires are of different types, including quinque, which is a long shirt with a round collar, dun (a type of shirt), toman (long skirt), shelte or dizlik (short skirt), vest, yel (a coat sewn with velvet and cashmere fabric), khud (ordinary coat), jan quink (a woolen dress worn over a shirt in cold seasons) and terquinki (undergarment).

Women’s footwear are also of different types of socks, galesh (shoes without heels), charuq, qundara (a type of leather shoe), qirmizi bashmaq (shoes similar to slippers), and takgoun that are usually worn in celebrations and weddings.

Skirt is one of the main components of East Azarbaijan women’s clothing. Most of these clothes are hand-stitched, especially headbands and hats, which are usually decorated with the sewing arts of Azari women, and in a way express the artistry of the person who wears them.

The long and broad sleeves of the attire of rural women make it different from that of nomadic clothes. They have a traditional dress called “Ish Paltari”, which they wear over normal clothes while working and baking bread.

East Azarbaijan Men’s Clothing

A hat known as a kepi (which resembles the hat of Gilani men) and a suit are the main parts of men’s attire in East Azarbaijan. Other types of hats include burak (leather hat), pahlavi hat, kampaburk (wool hat), brimmed, kanje burk (made of felt), straw, hybrid burk (made of lambskin), araqchin, yun burk (made of wool), and chapeau hat.

Men’s clothes also include shirts, duns, overcoats, gimme, fur clothing, and uvomashal (a type of suit). Labchin or Dolama, which is considered a special boot for herdsmen, takgoun, galase bashmakh, charuq, and chost are some types of men’s footwear. Since most of the nomadic men have to travel in mountainous areas, their footwear is designed in such a way that in addition to protecting their feet against possible hurts, it also protects them from cold and moisture.