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 their Iranian language and their culture. This link can also be seen in their clothing, especially that of the women. The main difference in their appearance lies in the style of their headgear. The Qashqai are a Turkish group and wear their own distinctive dress.

Bakhtiyari dress

The Bakhtiyaris form a conglomeration of various groups, of some 600,000 people, living in the valleys of the central Zagros in western Iran. As with the other nomadic tribes, dramatic changes took place in the garments worn by the Bakhtiyaris during the twentieth century. Some of these changes were the result of deliberate national policies during the reign of Reza Shah (r. 1925-1941). The reason for other changes, however, are not so obvious. Women's modern 'traditional' clothing, for instance, has little in common with the garments worn at the end of the nineteenth century. There has been a dramatic change in the cut of the garments, the garment combinations, as well as in the range of colours used. All of these differences reflect changes in the social and economic life of the wearers, but the reasons behind these changes remain a moot point.

A distinctive part of Bakhtiyari male dress are the trousers (dabit), which are black and cut very wide (120 cm around the leg). They are usually worn over long under trousers. The trousers are held in place by a leather belt or a large sash or rolled white cloth (sal). Bakhtiyari men are famous for their piano-striped jackets called chuqa, which are made out of natural and indigo dyed wool. Each tribe has its own design, making the identification of a person from a distance much easier.

The basic outfit for a Bakhtiyari woman consists of a pair of under trousers (shalvar), worn with a long, full skirt (tumun qiri), which is usually made of between 8-10 metres of cloth. The material in the skirt is gathered at the waist. Over the skirt is worn a knee-length tunic (jowa), which is slit at the sides in order to accommodate the full skirt. Bakhtiyari women normally wear a small cap (lachak), to which a veil (miyna) is pinned in such a way as to frame the face without hiding it. The hair is normally parted in the middle and arranged in two braids that are joined together under the chin.

Luri dress

Currently, there are about 500,000 Luris living in the so-called Luristan-i Kuchak region of western Iran. At the end of the twentieth century, many Luris lived in villages and towns, but there were still a substantial number who followed a nomadic way of life.

The basic man’s outfit consists of long trousers of varying degrees of fullness, a shirt, a vest, sandals (give) and a felt cap (saw-kolah). A feature of Luri male clothing is the chuqa, a straight, knee-length sleeveless coat of natural wool with vertical indigo stripes. These are hand-woven in various villages. It is often worn over a western style jacket (kot). At the end of the twentieth century the chuqa is widely associated with the Bakhtiyari, but it seems to have spread to this group from the Luristan in the 1940s, when it replaced the (traditional) Bakhtiyari cloak (qaba).

Many Luri women wear a pair of trousers (shalvar) under a long dress (sardari). In addition, they often wear a waistcoat decorated with amulets made from coins, pendants, beads and plaques. Many women wear a kind of turban (tara), made by wrapping a scarf around the upper part of the head, and while allowing their hair to flow free at the back.

Qashqai dress

The Qashqai are a Turkic speaking people who originally come from Central Asia. During the medieval period they settled in the mountains of southwestern Iran. Most of the nomadic Qashqai are herders of sheep and goat, and they traditionally migrate between summer and winter pastures in the Zagros Mountains and beyond. There are about 400,000 settled and nomadic Qashqai. Nowadays, Qashqai men usually wear urban styles of dress (long-sleeved shirts in dark colours), although they continue to wear the distinctive Qashqai hat called a do-gushi cap (“two-eared”), which is regarded by many as being THE garment that identifies a Qashqai man. The cap is made of orangey beige, tan or grey felt and as its name suggests, it has two flaps on either side just above the ears.

In contrast to the men’s clothing, the Qashqai woman’s outfit is much more flamboyant and consists of baggy trousers (tumban), which are cut very wide at the top, gathered onto a drawstring at the waist and tapering to ankle cuffs. Over these are worn two to twelve underskirts (tumban-i zir), again with a cord at the waist. The greater the number of these skirts the higher a woman’s social status. Over the underskirts is another, more flamboyant skirt (tumban-i ru), which is usually brightly coloured and made from finer materials. Between two to fifteen metres of cloth may be used for making each of these skirts. Over the skirts is worn a long tabard or dress (keynak), which has a high, round neck and long sleeves. These dresses are slit at the sides from the thigh downwards, in order to make room for the various skirts. A waist length fitted jacket (yal-i arsin fosol), is sometimes worn by wealthier women at festivals and weddings.

The headgear worn varies according to age, status and tribal affiliation. The basic form, however, consists of a small cap (kulahcha), worn with one or more diaphanous triangular veils or kerchiefs. These are often made out of net trimmed with sequins. The veils are fastened under the chin with a brooch or fastener (asmaliq, chapa), of some kind. Over the veil is worn a band or fillet (yaqliq) of chiffon, silk, or net, which is usually brightly coloured. Unmarried women normally wear their hair outside the veil, at the front, while married women tuck it inside.

The same range of clothing is worn on a daily basis as well as at weddings and other festivals. Even while on migration, women will wear their splendid skirts while sitting astride their camel, horse or donkey.

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 1930s many of the major cities had their own characteristic regional dress. However, most people living there now wear pan-Iranian dress and their local origins cannot be seen on the basis of their clothing. There are two main exceptions, namely the outfits worn in the village of Abyaneh and its surroundings, and those worn by Zoroastrian women in the city of Yazd.

Abyaneh dress

Abyaneh is situated at the foot of Mount Karkas, about 200 km south of Tehran. Because of its mountain location, the village is relatively cool during the summer months, while in the winter it is extremely cold. Until comparatively recently, the region around Abyaneh was virtually cut-off from the rest of Iran. The building of new roads in the region at the end of the twentieth century meant that the village became more accessible and modernised. Abyaneh has been recognised by UNESCO as a place of special cultural interest and is officially protected.

Traditional men and boys' clothing in the region is based upon late nineteenth century style garments, namely a shirt (pirun), a gown (qaba), a sash (shal), baggy trousers (tumun), cloth shoes (give), and some form of headgear, such as a cap (kolah) or a turban (mandil). By the beginning of the twenty-first century, the remaining traditional feature are the loose fitting trousers made out of a black, shiny material. The cuffs of the trousers are often decorated with lines of hand or machine embroidery.

The dress of both girls and women is based on three items: a tunic (pirun), knee-length ‘skirt’ (tumun) and a large head shawl (churgat). The ‘skirts’ are not actually skirts, but extremely wide trousers. These garments are made out of at least eight metres of pleated black cloth. The Abyaneh headscarf is made out of a large square of cloth, which has a light coloured background with small colourful motifs. It is folded diagonally and then fastened under the chin.

Zoroastrian dress

The Zoroastrians are followers of the main religion across the Iranian Plateau prior to the introduction of Islam in the seventh century AD. Zoroastrians are followers of the prophet Zoroaster, who lived, so we assume, at some point in the early first millennium BC. He introduced a monotheistic religion that is based around an omnipotent god called Ahura-Mazda. By the end of the twentieth century the Zoroastrians are a minority group concentrated around the city of Yazd; their co-religionists are the so-called Parsis from India, especially from Mumbai and surroundings.

For centuries Zoroastrian men have been barely distinguishable from their Muslim neighbours and as a result there is no special clothing for them. In contrast, however, Zoroastrian women have developed and preserved their own distinctive form of dress. Up to the latter half of the twentieth century the basic dress of a Zoroastrian woman in Yazd consisted of a pair of baggy trousers (shalvar), a panelled dress (qamis), and various forms of headgear. By the end of the century, many women were choosing to wear pan-Iranian garments, and within a short while this form of clothing will no longer be regarded as everyday wear, although it may survive for festival occasions.

The traditional trousers worn by Zoroastrian women are large, baggy trousers, but women now tend to wear narrow, knee-high trousers that can just be seen below the hem of the dress. The dress includes a long skirt made out of green/brown or green/purple panels. The bodice section is usually plain and in a contrasting colour to the skirt section. The traditional headdress can be quite complex and consists of various elements that can be worn together or by themselves, including a small, triangle cap (lachak) with a chin band; a large headcover (makni) made up of three metres of cloth placed under the chin and then folded over the head, and finally, in the winter time, a large, diagonally folded shawl (charqat), which is often draped over the top.

Afshar dress

Nowadays there are various nomadic and semi-nomadic groups living in the Kerman Province of southeastern Iran, including the Afshar. Traditionally, it is believed that the Afshar are descended from Afshar, a chief of the Turkmen Ghuzz tribe. It would seem that they migrated towards their present habitat during the fourteenth to fifteenth centuries. Nowadays, the main activity of the Afshar is animal husbandry, especially that of sheep. The Afshar are also known for their handicrafts, which are used as trade items.

Nowadays, men’s clothing is based on pan-Iranian forms, including Western style trousers, shirt, waistcoat and jacket. The main feature of their outfit is the Homburg style hat that was introduced in the 1930's following the dress reforms of the king, Reza Shah. A similar hat is worn by Shahsavan men in northwestern Iran.

The clothing worn by Afshar women is based on the combination of a pair of trousers worn under a skirt or dress. The headgear is usually made up a large white scarf, which is used to cover both the head and shoulders of the wearer. This is kept in place with a long black headscarf that is wrapped around the head like a turban.