Monday, December 10, 2007

HISTORY ; SOME ONE SAID ; I REPLY JUST ME AND SOME OF MY RAG HEAD FRIENDS

Under the spread of Islam (seventh‑-eighth centuries), when the majority of the Jews of the world came under its cultural influence and political con­trol, Jews easily adopted the new styles of dress and were in no way distinguishable from their Muslim neighbors…There is, however, evidence for a require­ment that Christians (Jews are not mentioned) wear a distinctive sash (zunnar) and distinctive sign or mark on their headgear and that of their animals. In 850 the caliph al‑Mutawakkil did, in fact, order both Christians and Jews to wear the taylasin, a shawl‑like head covering, and the zunnar.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/history_community/Medieval/MedievalSocialTO/Clothing.htm
In Muslim Spain until the thirteenth century the turban was customarily worn by men, including Jews, but was abandoned after that except for certain provinces. The turban was gradually replaced by a woolen cap, usually green or red, and the Jews often wore yellow. The Jews of Muslim North Africa gener­ally continued to wear turbans. In Egypt, ca. 1005, the fanatical caliph al‑Hakim ordered Jews and Christians to wear black robes, and in the public baths Christians had to wear iron crosses around their necks, and Jews bells (in the street they were re­quired to wear a wooden image of a calf, in "mem­ory” of the biblical golden calf). This obligation with regard to wearing bells while in the baths had earlier precedents. However, these rigid ordinances were not strictly enforced and were apparently soon forgotten.
In fact, Jews, both men and women, continued to dress in lavish apparel. There were Jewish makers and sell­ers of clothes, including secondhand, in Egypt, and if we hear of few such in at‑Andalus at least there were merchants engaged in the silk trade and import of textiles.

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