Scarf & Bag with the embroidery Aghabani fabric

What is the Scarf (shawl)

A scarf, plural scarves, is a piece of fabric worn around the neck or head for warmth, sun protection, cleanliness, fashion, or religious reasons or used to show the support for a sports club or team. They can be made in a variety of different materials such as wool, linen, silk or cotton. It is a common type of neckwear.

History shawl & Scarf 

Scarves have been worn since ancient times.The Statue of Ashurnasirpal II from the 9th century BC features the emperor wearing a shawl. In Ancient Rome, the garment was used to keep clean rather than warm. It was called a focale or sudarium (sudarium from the Latin for “sweat cloth”), and was used to wipe the sweat from the neck and face in hot weather. They were originally worn by men around their neck or tied to their belt.

Historians believe that during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Cheng, scarves made of cloth were used to identify officers or the rank of Chinese warriors.

In later times, scarves were also worn by soldiers of all ranks in Croatia around the 17th century. The only difference in the soldiers’ scarves that designated a difference in rank was that the officers had silk scarves whilst the other ranks were issued with cotton scarves. Some of the Croatian soldiers served as mercenaries with the French forces. The men’s scarves were sometimes referred to as “cravats” (from the French cravate, meaning “Croat”), and were the precursor of the necktie.

The scarf became a real fashion accessory by the early 19th century for both men and women. By the middle of the 20th century, scarves became one of the most essential and versatile clothing accessories for both men and women.

Linen fabric

Linen (/ˈlɪnən/) is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.

Linen is very strong and absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also has other distinctive characteristics, notably its tendency to wrinkle. Many other products, including home furnishing items, are also often made from linen.

Aghabani Fabrics

Aghabani fabrics are embroidery type of fabrics with unique designs of leaves, flowers, branches or other arabesque geometry inspired by the environment of Syria. Silk yarns, colourful or golden, are used in the stitch and silk fabrics are used to form the base of the Aghabani. However, nowadays rayon viscous threads and cotton fabrics are used instead. This fabric first appear in Aleppo and then it flourished in Damascus. It is believed the name is generated form the two families who started this type of fabric in Damascus, Al-Agha family and Al-Bani family, Aghabani.

Types of Aghabani

There are many types of Aghabani depending on the materials used.

1. Organza

The base fabric for this types is thin woven silk fabric and the stitch yarns used are thick silk yarns.  This type is mainly used in wedding dresses.

2. Damascene Aghabani

The base fabric for this type is linen with 1/1 design.  Thick silk threads are also used for stitching. In this design there are no empty spaces left on the face of the base fabric. There is another name for this kind which s also ‘Tals’.