Women's Hijab in Thirteenth Century Iran

In the thirteenth century Iran, there was triple full-covering clothing – Chador-Ruband-Chaqchur – in which women were encompassed, during their public and civic presence, so that almost no part of her body could be seen. Such clothing was creating various possibilities, routines, and margins; in other words, in the context of social behavior, this kind of clothing was used, evaluated, and connected to the texture of everyday action, but its very essence found its importance and prominence in connection with two basic functions: covering and deforming. Women’s clothing went to fight with defined forms and specific shapes. This clothing surrounded bodies, and wiped out their boundaries. So, anything surrounded by Chador and Ruband disappeared and remained hidden from eyes. Secrecy, like a shield, like a hiding fortress, drew a secure shell around bodies, removed them from objective surface and gently pushed them into the depths. Nevertheless, one can ask at what time and in what regularity women’s clothing became a social problem, and why and in accordance to what specific objective necessity the request for revising was arisen? In the way of answering to this question, a wider process can be considered. In fact, from the middle ages of thirteenth century, confronting with obstacles were on the way of Iran’s new changes, actors were invited to struggle with manifestations and appearances of secrecy. After a short introduction, discussing the issue, and referring to some theoretical and methodological topics, this text presents a historical review of secrecy process in thirteenth century Iran, in three phases: in the first part, there is a description about daily use of women’s clothing, its conditions and requirements; the second part talks about the routine and flexible functions of this kind of clothing; and finally, based on descriptions and implications of previous parts, the last part refers to the results of this process, considering the perceptible ruptures and breaks that the rule of covering could create at that time.