Qaba
Qabā (Arabic: قبا) is a type of men's garment which constitutes to a part of the clerical clothing of Shi'a clerics today. This garment is worn over the shirt and trousers and the 'Aba is worn over it. The qaba was the general attire of the people of Iran before the mandatory change of clothing during the era of Reza Pahlavi.
History
"Qaba" is an Arabic word derived from the root "q-b-w" meaning "gathering". Ibn Manzur states that it is called qaba because the two ends of this garment are gathered.[1] It is written that the great ancestor of the Tabataba'i Sayyids became famous as "Tabataba" because he could not pronounce the word qaba correctly in childhood and called it taba.[2] The word qaba has also been used in some ancient Persian works such as the Shahnameh.[citation needed] Furthermore, before the compulsory change of clothing in the Pahlavi era, the qaba was the general attire of the Iranian people worn by both men and women.[citation needed]
Morphology
The qaba is a long garment worn over the shirt, covering from the shoulders down to the feet. One side of it overlaps the other in the front and is fastened with a loop button underneath and a hidden button on the top. It has long sleeves that are slightly open under the armpit to allow air circulation.[3]
The qaba has large pockets, the purpose of which is to allow the hem of the garment to be gathered and tucked into the pocket during Tahara and Wudu[citation needed]as well as slits on the bottom right and left sides making it easy to walk with and fold..
The collar of the qaba is V-shaped as one side overlaps the other. The fabric of the qaba can be changed to suit the season and are made of thin (spring), regular (autumn) or thick (winter) fabrics.
Today, in cities with large religious seminaries such as Qom, Najaf, Mashhad and Isfahan tailors specialize in the sewing of clerical clothing, the most important of which is the qaba.[4]
See Also
Notes
References
- Dihkhudā, ʿAlī Akbar. Lughat-nāma-yi Dihkhudā. Tehran, Muʾassisa-yi Lughat-nāma-yi Dihkhudā, 1341 Sh.
- Ibn Manẓūr, Muḥammad b. Mukarram. Lisān al-ʿArab. Beirut, Dār Iḥyāʾ al-Turāth al-ʿArabī, 1408 AH.
- Makkī, Ḥusayn. Tārīkh-i bīst-sāla-yi Īrān. Tehran, Nashr-i Nāshir, 1362 Sh.
- Vīzha-nāma-yi Radā-yi Bihishtī. Markaz-i Khadamāt-i Ḥawza-yi ʿIlmiyya-yi Qom, 1395 Sh, article "Tārīkhcha-yi libās-i rūḥāniyyat".