Beyond the chador: Regional dress from Iran

Short tutu-style skirt for a woman, Iran, early 20th century.

0. Cover page

For many Westerners, Iranian dress is made up of black chadors for women and shirts with no ties for men. Yet there is much more, very much more in fact,…

Woman's shawl from Astara, Northwest Iran.

1. Introduction

For many Westerners, Iranian dress is made up of black chadors for women and shirts with no ties for men. Yet there is much more, very much more in fact,…

Pair of hand-knitted socks, Gilan, Iran, late 20th century.

2. Caspian coast

Along the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, in the north of the country, stretch the coastal plain and mountain slopes of what is generally called Gilan. The traditional dress…

Woman's dress, late 20th century, Shahsavan, Iran

3. The Turkic lands of Northwestern Iran

In the northwest of Iran lies Azerbaijan. The region is comparable to neighbouring districts of Turkey to the west, and the modern republic of Azerbaijan to the north, with respect…

Pair of women's trousers, late 20th centuiry, Kurdistan, Iran.

4. The Kurds of Western Iran

In the west of the country rises a huge mountain range, called the Zagros, which runs from north to southeast, and separates the Iranian Plateau to the east from the…

Qashqai woman's skirt, late 20th century, Iran.

5. The southwestern mountains of Iran

There are three main ethnic groups living in western and southwestern Iran, namely the Bakhtiyaris, Luris and the Qashqai. The first two groups are closely related, both with respect to…

Woman's dress from Abyaneh, central Iran, late 20th century.

6. The deserts of Central Iran

Central Iran is a large, dry desert region that is sparsely populated, but along its fringes there are the main Iranian cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Yazd and Kerman. Until the…

Battulah face veil from Bandar, Iran, late 20th century.

7. The southern plains and the Persian Gulf

The range and styles of dress in the southern regions of Iran vary quite considerably. As with other parts of Iran over the last century, considerable changes took place in…

Iranian Baluch dress for a woman. Late 20th century.

8. Southeastern Iran

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…

Iranian Turkmen sheepskin cap. Late 20th century.

9. Northeastern Iran

Eastern Kurdish dress In the area of Khorasan, in the northeast of Iran, around the towns of Bojnurd and Quchan, are various Kurdish groups. The history of these people is…