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.
