Hair jewellery from Oman
Omani silver braid ornaments
Published Jan 15, 2024
A look at braid ornaments from Oman today! There is a wealth or hair- and head ornaments from Oman, and in this article, I will focus only two of those: the braid ornament called halqa, and the braid ornaments known as athaqil. How were they worn? What is the meaning of these silver hair ornaments? And there’s a particular use of these you may not expect…!
Omani braid ornaments: the halqa plait ornament
In the Interior of Oman, a large round ornament was worn in the hair. It looks like a large circle in silver, with a T-shaped division in the centre. These were woven into the hair itself. Imagine a series of long, fine braids, which were kept together by an artificial plait of goat’s hair. That would have been woven through horizontally, also passing through the silver hair ornament. [1]
Omani silver braid ornaments: the halqa clip
Smaller versions of this ornament were not worked into the braids themselves, but attached to their ends, like a clip. [2] These usually are decorated with an image of the crescent moon and a large single star. Because of the pin on their reverse, they were also worn as brooches: the image above shows a woman wearing such a clip on her dress, closing the collar. These are multifunctional items!
Omani braid ornaments: athaqil pendants
Another way of adorning plaits was by attaching small ornaments to their ends. This was a tradition Dhofar, in southern Oman. These ornaments are called athqul, or athaqil in the plural. [3] You will know them in silver, but they also existed in simpler forms such as leather with cowrie shells or entirely beaded forms. [4]
So how were these worn? They were not attached to the braids directly, but suspended on black woolen cords that were then plaited along with the braid itself. [5]
According to Morris and Shelton, the number of silver braid ornaments differed with who was wearing them: unmarried girls would wear them in sets of 6, and married women in sets of 8 or even 10. [6] That number is often repeated in literature, but Ruth Hawley mentions 20 years earlier that girls would wear a set of 10 pendants. [7]
I believe the number of ornaments may not have been based primarily on the wearers’ married or unmarried status, but rather on the financial means of her family. For married women, this amount of extra silver was also part of their own savings’ account.
Braid ornaments as amulets
Braid ornaments carry meaning as amulets, too. That is because of their decoration and execution, but also because of their close association with hair itself.
First, the placement of these braid ornaments is important. They hang on the back of the wearer. This is a vulnerable place, because how will you know a jinn is not attacking you from behind? Many cultures adorn the back of a person to protect them from unseen attackers, and that is one of the purposes these Omani braid ornaments serve.
The silver plait-clips often carry the motif of the crescent with a star. This is in itself a very old symbol that predates Islam: click here to read more about its origins and almost forgotten meaning. Oman is famous for its elegant floral decoration, and this is something you will find on plait clips, too. [8]
The colours of the beads you will sometimes find strung in with these hair ornaments, also carries meaning. [9] Blue and red are the main colours to keep evil spirits away, coral is an often-used material as it brings wisdom and blessing, and of course is red of itself, too.
The athaqil may have had another capacity that has long since vanished, and that is the power of smell. They were stuffed to keep the silver from damaging [10]: as these ornaments are hollow, they might end up dented. But that stuffing sometimes was soaked in scented substances: as such, it would keep evil at a distance. [11]
And of course, all of these jingled! So you see how these hair ornaments are layered with meaning, and that meaning may even be present in different forms of jewellery. Let’s go into that next!
Braid ornaments as part of other Omani jewellery
An interesting use of pendants used as hair jewellery or veil jewellery is their attachment to the body chain known as manjad. This is a lengthy, silver chain that was worn across the body, from the shoulder to opposite hip. At its end, so dangling on or just above the hip, is a pendant as counterweight: it pulls the chain down and keeps it in place.
And that pendant is often one of the pendants you would wear in your hair, or on your veil. See an example in the gallery above where a veil ornament called sils has been attached to the chain. They also exist with a single athgul attached to the chain [12]
Now the thing is that this body chain was worn beneath the clothes. Its upper part was partly visible as necklines used to be much lower [13], but the lower part with the added hair ornament would be invisible. It was only worn by married women, and most authors suspect that it may have something to do with fertility. [14]
They did not note the recurring addition of hair ornaments, though, but I think this reinforces the suggestion of this chain as an amulet.
The afterlife of Omani silver braid ornaments
Like everywhere in the world, traditional dress and jewellery change over time. In Oman, significant changes in dress and jewellery appeared around the 1970s. Hair jewellery such as the athaqil and the halqa were no longer worn in the hair. Instead, they were repurposed into jewellery that could still be worn.
The hair clips in particular are very often repurposed into pendants. An example is in the gallery above: click to enlarge the photo. The halqa on the upper left has been reworked into a necklace. It continues to be a beautiful piece of adornment, but in a different way.
The athaqil, too, were repurposed. You may find them as pendants on a necklace, a practice noted in 2000. [15]
Omani silver braid ornaments: a living heritage
These braid ornaments formed an important part of the distinction between girls and married woman, as outlined in this article on the many roles ethnic jewellery can have. Today, they are much sought-after collectable items. Many expats who lived in Oman during the 70s and 80s brought these braid ornaments home with them: the set of athaqil I showed you in this post, belonged to Shirley Black-Temple. Ornaments like these continue to be worn on national holidays and festive occasions, and are used in new designs by Omani silversmiths and designers. They are pieces with a long history, ready for a long future.
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References
[1] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 66; R. Hawley 1978. Omani Silver, a book without page numbering (why, publisher, why??), but this on the page that starts the section on Hair Decorations. She adds that these were worn in places such as Bahla and Jabrin. J.S. Rahab 1997. Silver Jewellery of Oman, p. 24 also mentions Bahla and Jabrin, but it’s not clear if this is her own observation or that she is citing Hawley.
[2] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 66; M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 129 for a photo.
[3] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.
[4] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 312-313.
[5] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.
[6] R. Hawley 1978. Omani Silver. This is on the second-last page.
[7] See an example in the British Museum collection here.
[8] See an example in P. Hoesli 2023, Shine & Mystery. The Splendour and Power of Oriental Jewellery, p. 132.
[9] See my book Desert Silver or the Amulets-course for an introduction of colours and materials as amulets.
[10] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 234.
[11] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 67. See my book Silver & Frankincense or the Scents of the Middle East-course for more about this practice.
[12] J.S. Rahab 1997. Silver Jewellery of Oman, p. 34 for an example with an athgul.
[13] M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 263.
[14] R. Hawley 1978, Omani Silver. Again, as this book has no page numbering, I can only tell you it’s on the page that starts the section on Dhofari Silver, near the end of the book. M. Morris & P. Shelton 1997. Oman Adorned. A Portrait in Silver, p. 264. A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 92.
[15] A. Forster 2000. Disappearing Treasures of Oman, p. 67.
S. van Roode, [write the title as you see it above this post], published on the Bedouin Silver website [paste the exact link to this article], accessed on [the date you are reading this article and decided it was useful for you].
Sigrid van Roode
Sigrid van Roode is an archeologist, ethnographer and jewellery historian. Her main field of expertise is jewellery from North Africa and Southwest Asia, as well as archaeological and archaeological revival jewellery. She has authored several books on jewellery. Sigrid has lectured for the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, Turquoise Mountain Jordan, and many others. She provides consultancy and research on jewellery collections for both museums and private collections, teaches courses and curates exhibitions. She is not involved in the business of buying and selling jewellery, and focuses on research, knowledge production, and education only.