250 clothing and footwear: The Islamic World apparently not meant to be worn The wraps of urban people were worn over fitted clothing The habit of covering the head out of modesty and respect was the norm for people in the medieval Islamic world Muslims and Jews customarily covered their heads while praying A man or a woman might draw a long mantle or wrap over the head In his last public appearance, in about 630, Muhammad supposedly wore a wrap over his head, held in place with a black headband Women typically covered their faces with a variety of veils when appearing in public The three most common veils were the qina, a rectangular piece of fabric that covered the head and fell down like a curtain over the face; the litham, a rectangular cloth that covered the nose and lower half of the face; and the burqu, a harness-like affair consisting of fabric suspended from the center front of the headband to cover the face The lower corners of the burqu were attached to the sides of the headband by a string, creating a masklike effect Women of good reputation covered their faces before strangers, and a woman who lacked a veil was described with the same word (hasira) used to describe a warrior without armor Men did wear veils on occasion, normally by draping the outer mantle in a manner that covered both the head and face Very handsome young men are reported to have occasionally veiled their faces, particularly at fairs and Kumari vest (multicolor silk embroidery in brick and chain stitch on yellow silk damask); Nepal, 15th century (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by Mrs Harry Lenart, Photograph © 2006 Museum Associates/LACMA) festivals, to protect themselves from the evil eye The free end of a turban cloth also frequently served as a veil to protect the wearer from getting dust in the eyes while riding The turban has been worn by Arabs since pre-Islamic times By the medieval period it consisted of one or two caps and a cloth wound around the head Jews wore a shawl-like head cloth A high cap appears to date from the seventh century On military expeditions men wore a mighfar, a cap or head cloth of mail over a helmet The mighfar was called a sabgha when it had a mail-covered back flap to protect the neck Medieval Arab women apparently did not wear hats, as no existing sources describe them in hats Footwear for both sexes consisted either of sandals or boots Sandals were apparently the norm, while boots were viewed as luxury items The sandal, or na’l, could be constructed from palm fiber, smooth leather, or leather with animal hair Soft, fine sandals were the mark of a person of high rank, usually royalty The khuff was a boot made of leather A custom found in the Jewish Talmud and also attributed to Muhammad held that a believer should always put the right shoe on first and remove the left one first He or she should not go outdoors barefoot or with only one shoe, for fear of creating an ill omen Furthermore, shoes should never be left with the soles facing heavenward In the Umayyad Period that began in the eighth century most Muslims abandoned earliest Islam’s aversion to luxury garments Silk, satin, and brocade clothing became far more common Only the ascetic priests, known as Sufis, still wore simple clothing The styles remained the same as in previous eras Conquered people were prohibited from dressing like their conquerors, and Arab warriors on duty in the Persian territories were banned from donning Iranian clothing Nonetheless, the Umayyad caliphs had adopted certain elements of the previous regime, the Sassanian Dynasty (224–651), for themselves and their entourage They wore special robes of office with wide embroidered or jeweled collars and embroidered borders High-status men wore coats with pearl borders cinched with an ornamental belt They wore a high conical hat, the qalansuwa, as a royal symbol It consisted of a frame of reed or wood covered with silk or another fabric Clothes have always been viewed as objects of significant material value in the Middle East Accordingly, clothing played an important political role High officials were customarily thanked for their service with a gift of textiles They received so-called robes of honor, turbans, and other garments woven in the households of rulers These clothes were typically heavily decorated with embroidery and gold Muhammad gave valuable clothing as gifts to his entourage Garments could be used to pay taxes or tribute Pious wishes,