The Baluchis

The Baluchis constitute the main ethnic group of southeastern Iran. Their habitat, generally called Baluchistan, stretches across the border with Pakistan a far as the Indus river. Many Baluchis live further north, in the south of modern Afghanistan. The Baluchis speak their own, Iranian language. They are Sunnites, as opposed to the mainly Shi'ite population of Iran. Most Baluchi men wear the kamiz or long shirt, worn with simple, drawstring trousers (pajamak). Other elements of the male dress include a long scarf or shoulder wrap (pushtin), a close fitting skullcap (sopi) over which is wrapped a turban (pag). In addition, during colder weather other garments are added, including a waistcoat (sadri) and an overcoat (kaba). Occasionally a woollen blanket or shawl (shal) is worn. The typical Baluchi skullcap (sopi), over which the turban is tightly wrapped, is usually made of cotton with fine silk or cotton embroidery in floral or geometrical designs and incorporating small, round mirrors.

The basic elements of a Baluch woman’s dress include of a pair of baggy trousers. The older trousers of striped silk fabric are called kanavez, while the modern trousers, which match the dress, are called shalvar. Other dress elements are a knee-length dress (pashk) with pleats (chin) at either side of the waist, and finally, a large, rectangular shawl or head covering (sarig). Nowadays, the trousers and the dress are made in the same material, with a complementary coloured head covering. Traditionally, the dresses are decorated with four specific panels of embroidery (duch). These panels are a large yoke covering the chest (jig), a long, narrow rectangular pocket (pado, pandohl) and two sleeve cuffs (banzari). These used to be hand stitched, with each group having their own form of patterning. Nowadays, however, machine embroidered decoration is much more common. Sometimes, embroidered panels from worn-out dresses are cut off and re-sewn onto new garments.