Traditional clothing of East Azerbaijan, a national intangible heritage of Iranians

Changes in lifestyle have affected all characteristics of human life. Clothing and attire are among these characteristics that have trended toward uniformity. Not long ago, every city, village, and culture had its own attire that reflected aspects of its life, But today, these aspects have faded, and everything has trended toward uniformity. The local clothing of the people of Azerbaijan also gradually faded during this struggle, and today, it may only be used in certain special ceremonies and may have maintained its prevalence in some villages. 

In the year 2013 CE (1391 SH), in order to preserve the traditional clothing of East Azerbaijan, the skill of sewing the local and traditional clothes of this province was registered as a national intangible heritage.

Characteristics and Types of Traditional Clothing of East Azerbaijan

Perhaps the first encounter of any tourist with a culture occurs in the form of seeing the clothing of the people of that culture. For this reason, clothing plays an important role in introducing the culture from which it originates. The traditional clothing of East Azerbaijan is showcased in the attire of the two tribes, Shahsavani and Arasbaran. The men's clothing of this type of attire does not have much complexity or many components, Nevertheless, women's clothing, especially in nomadic regions, is still common and includes a pleated skirt and a large scarf.

The traditional clothing of women in East Azerbaijan typically features bright colors and floral patterns. These garments are highly diverse, distinguished by their styles, stitching techniques, decorations, and the jewelry incorporated into them. The choice of fabric depends largely on the wearer’s financial means. Materials such as kodari, muslin, chintz, calico, serge, daryakenar, otmasinar, aynagoli (sequined fabric), shalmoz, taffeta, velvet, silk, and chiffon are commonly used.

The components of women’s traditional clothing in East Azerbaijan are generally divided into three parts: headwear, garments, and footwear. The main types of headwear include araqchin (skullcap), scarves, shawls, charghad, headbands, colorful chadors, veils, and chadors.

Women's garments also have various types, including Kuinak, which is a kind of long, round-neck shirt; Don (a type of shirt); Tuman (long skirt); Shelte or Dizlik (short skirt); vest; Yal (a coat sewn with velvet and cashmere/termeh fabric); Khod (ordinary coat); Jan Kuinak (woolen clothing worn over the shirt, especially in cold seasons); and Tarkuinaki (undershirt).

Women's footwear also has great variety. Various types of socks, Galash (heelless shoes), Charuq (moccasin/sandal), Qundara (a type of leather shoe), Qirmizi Bashmaq (a slipper-like shoe), and Tak-gon, which are worn during festivals and weddings.

The skirt is one of the main components of the clothing of East Azerbaijani women. Most of these clothes are hand-stitched, especially the headbands and hats, which are usually decorated with the embroidery arts of Azeri women and, in a way, express the artistry of the wearer.

The clothing of rural women is distinguished from the clothing of nomads by having wide sleeves. They have a traditional garment called "Ish Paltari" which they wear over their regular clothes when working and baking bread.

Traditional Men’s Clothing in East Azerbaijan

The traditional clothing of men in East Azerbaijan mainly consists of a hat called a kepi (a felt cap similar to the one worn by Gilaki men) along with a suit. Other types of hats used in the region include the bourk (fur hat), Pahlavi hat, kampabourk (woolen hat), brimmed hats,Traditional Men’s Clothing in East Azerbaijan kenjeh bourk (felt hat), straw hats, dorageh bourk (made from lambskin), araqchin, yun bourk (wool hat), and shapo.Traditional Men’s Clothing in East Azerbaijan

Men’s garments also include various shirts, the don, coats, gimeh, kurk (sheepskin coat), and oomashal (a type of traditional suit). Traditional men's footwear includes lab-chin or dolama—a special boot used by muleteers—as well as tak-goon, glaseh bashmakh, ch