Figure 1.--Here we see Turkish girls, perhaps a part of a school performance, doing a dance routine. They are costumed in traditional outfits. The portrait is is undated, but was probably taken in the 1930s. The were probably urban girls and we suspect at the time wore Western-styled clothes.

The Middle East and North Africa include two of the river valley cradles of civilization (Mesopotamia and Egypt). Civilization meant that the socities were generating wealth and far more attention was given to clothing and fashion than hunter-gatherer societies. Persia and Turkish tribes later emerged as another force and genrator of fashion. Much of the arrea was dominated by first Greece abd then Rome/Byzantium which also exerted fashion influences. Other fashion influences were exerted by Arabs and Bedouin tribes. The entire area would be dominated by Islam as a result of the Arab outburst from the Arabian Peninsula and military conquests. And Islam had very definite attitudes toward fashion. Fashionnin the area developed as almagum of Islamic teachings blended with Arab and local trends, including bedouin fashions. Turkish fashions became important as the Ottoman began to conquer the Arab lands (16th century). These early fashion trends sre important because they carried over to modern times which was ot the case in the West. Western fashions began to have some influence, especially after Europeans began to colonize the area (1830s). Western fashions became very imortant in urban areas (early- and mid-20th centutry). Peole in rural areas continued to wear traditional garments. This continued into the de-colonization era after World War II. This began to change with the failure of Arab socialism (1970s) and many in the region began to turn to fundamentalist Islamic movements which was reflected in fashion and dress conventiins, in some cases enforced by Islamic clerics and the fashion police.

Created: 4:28 AM 5/19/2018
Last updated: 4:29 AM 5/19/2018