Agal (accessory)
In this article, we are going to explore and analyze in depth Agal (accessory), a topic that has been the subject of great interest and debate in recent times. Agal (accessory) is an issue that affects people of all ages and backgrounds, and its relevance and reach extends across a wide range of areas, from politics and economics to health and well-being. As we delve into this topic, we will examine its many facets and consider its implications for society at large. From its origins to its current impact, Agal (accessory) is a topic that deserves careful attention and detailed analysis. Read on to discover more about Agal (accessory) and its importance in today's world!
&sq=Agal_(accessory)&lang=en&file=File:Agal_(accessory).jpg) A Bahraini man wearing a ghutra with an agal over it | |
| Type | Arab clothing |
|---|---|
| Material | Goat hair |
| Place of origin | Arabian Peninsula |
An agal (Arabic: عِقَال; also spelled iqal, egal, or igal) is an Arab men's clothing accessory. It is a black cord, worn doubled, used to keep a ghutrah (or keffiyeh) in place on the wearer's head. It is traditionally made of goat hair.
It is traditionally worn by Arabs from the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Jordan, and parts of Palestine, Egypt and Syria (such as the Negev in Israel, Deir ez-Zor and Hauran in Syria, and Sinai and Sharqia in Egypt), and Ahwazi Arabs.
The use of the agal and ghutra is dated through antiquities including bas-reliefs and statues going back to ancient times. The agal is traced in Semitic and Middle Eastern civilizations and even in ancient Arabian kingdoms. In his book Iran in the Ancient East, the archaeologist and Iranologist Ernst Herzfeld, in referring to the Susa bas-reliefs, points to the ancient agal as unique headwear of Elamites that distinguished them from other nations.
See also
References
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary. Second Edition, 1989.
- ^ Merriam-Webster definition, online edition
- ^ Walther Hinz, Lost World of Elam, pp. 20-21: In referring to dark-skinned Susa in a bas-relief wearing agal: "These must be Elamites from the hinterland. Even today dark-skinned men, in no way negroid, are often to be seen in Khuzistan. They consider themselves for the most part as 'Arabs', and speak 'Arabic' among themselves. It seems likely that the population even of Ancient Elam was a mixed one, consisting of dark-skinned aboriginals of uncertain race and of 'Semites', who had infiltrated from Mesopotamia in repeated incursions since the Akkad period".