Unknown Maker, Iraq

The custom of covering one’s head as a gesture of modesty and respect existed in the Arabian Peninsula and the Mediterranean well before the advent of Islam. During Muhammad’s lifetime, Arab men wore turbans, hats, caps, and head cloths (keffiyeh), often in combination with one another. Turbans, however, dominated until the mid-19th century, when the keffiyeh and head rope (agal) came into widespread popularity, evolving in the 20th century into badges of national identity in many countries of the Middle East. The checked pattern of the red-and-white cotton keffiyeh shown here is said to derive from ancient Mesopotamian symbols for wheat or fishing nets.

Men generally fold the square keffiyeh into a triangle, arranging the long edge over the forehead and leaving the points to fall at each shoulder and down the back. The agal, once a simple rope that doubled as a camel hobble among Arab Bedouin, now functions to hold the keffiyeh in place on the head. The gold and silk wrapped around strands of wool (originally camel hair) indicate wealth and elite status.