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A young girl's head cover called Bukhnaq used before marriage it is a translucent hijab covering the head and shoulders
20th century
Object Name: Head cover / Local Name: Bukhnaq
Period: 20th century
Date: 1900-1999
Provenance: Qatar
Dimensions: 1.33mx64cm
Medium: textile,silk,metal
Registration Number: QNM.2011.469.1
Place Of Discovery/Findspot:  Qatar
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A young girl's head cover called Bukhnaq used before marriage it is a translucent hijab non transparent covering the head and shoulders. It surrounds the face to the underside of the chin and extends at the front down to the waist. The back is longer, extending to the ankles.
This bukhnaq is made of silk chiffon. It is embroided by machine with synthetic gold and silver threads in traditional motifs. The area around the face and extending down the front is elaborately embroided
The bukhnaq is a piece worn extensively by the girls in najd and and the gulf region. The name is derived from makhnaq, and khinaq, meaning neck or throat, and refers to the way it is worn, like a cap tied at the neck. It is a traditional garment for veiling girls from a young age until puberty or until they would marry and begin to wear abaya and Burqa. The construction of the bukhnaq frees the girls from the from needing to fasten and adjust a hijab (veil)
The elaborate embroidery work framing the face is sometimes in talli or Naqdah, but Zari is more common. And At the apex of the head is usually a Taj (crown) motif but not necessarily. Simple designs are sometimes employed, but more often the garment is decorated in gold, especially around the face. The decoration is made intensive to make the fabric stiff. The bukhnaq is given different local names depending on the type of embroidery used.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT QATAR
The Qatar Peninsula is surrounded by sea except in the south where it connects with its neighbours from the Arabian Peninsula. For hundreds of years people have shared the land, resources and knowledge inherited from their environment. With no fixed lifestyle in terms of time and place, people moved easily and freely between land and sea for trade, livestock, pearl diving, fishing, and hunting at various times throughout the year. This symbiotic relationship between the people and their environment was represented in the unity of their societies, including the exchange of knowledge, stories and the trading of available goods.

A distinctive characteristic of life on the Qatar Peninsula has long been the close association between the coast and the desert – al barr. Some desert tribes spent several months of the year in coastal cities, setting up semi-permanent residences to participate in pearl diving or fishing. Similarly, coastal residents occasionally moved to al barr during the winter to graze their livestock. This exchange of natural resources and the influence of different environments has contributed to the creation of a unique community.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT - REGION/GULF/WORLD
The presence of British, French and Dutch trading companies in the Gulf from the early 1600s brought uncertainty to the region, with unstable alliances and intense competition over trade routes. As trade flourished, however, the strength of the Arab tribes increased. Many Arab tribes moved from the interior of the Arabian Peninsula to Qatar, and by the 18th and 19th centuries, most of the major towns of the Gulf were founded. Several towns flourished on the Qatari coast, including Huwailah, Khor Hassan, Fuwairat, Ruwaida, Freiha, Al Bidda and Doha. The most notable was Al Zubara which became a hub for the Gulf pearl trade.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESEARCH
1997. زينة وأزياء المرأة القطرية. 306. Ismael, Najla. 2003. Qatari Costume. 1. 150.,
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