Al-Tally: A History of Assiut in Pictures

Dawn Devine  ~ Davina

Author of “The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut.”

www.davina.us • @davinadevine Assiut, the beloved cloth of Egypt, is named after the city where it was initially traded. During the 19th century, all tourists sailing or steaming up the Nile by boat would stop at Assiut. Local embroidery artists hand-crafted exquisite metal-embellished scarves, shawls, and even tunics for the travel market.

Dancers worldwide choose assiut costumes for many dance styles from traditional Egyptian Folkloric to Pancultural Fusion styles. The metal stitches shimmer and shine under stage lights and accentuating the most subtle dance movements. 

IMAGE #1 CAPTION:  Nabaweya Mostafa,  Felahi Dance c. 1949 

Watch her gorgeous al-tally robe in action on YouTube. https://youtu.be/1o6UErkpo7A For More clips of assiut, you can visit my playlist of vintage and modern clips featuring performances and sightings of assiut. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE04069684206800B

Al-Tally

Known as al-tally by the artisans who craft, this textile is composed of a cotton tulle ground cloth and a single-stitch embroidery technique with plate or flattened wire. As an Industrial Era invention, each technological advancement allowed this fabric to evolve into the material we know today.

IMAGE #2 - Caption - Two surviving Assiut Robes in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of New York. These garments date to the Last Quarter of the 19th Century, and show the Tally embroidery stitches executed on two different base cloths.  On the left, the robe has a ground cloth of cotton gauze. The robe on the right features cotton tulle.  Source: 

Left: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/85658 

Right: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/85659

Key Dates in Assiut Evolution 

Many advances during the Industrial Revolution contributed to the look of al-tally. You might run across sources that attempt to trace this fabric back to antiquity, what we know as al-tally wasn’t possible until after 1800. The Coptic people of Egypt have used Embroidery for 1000+ years, so there is an ancient embroidery tradition. 

However, al-tally, that single-stitch embroidery using metal flattened wire on tulle couldn’t emerge and spread until the invention of: 

• Electroplating - 1805 by Luigi V. Brugnatelli, Italian 

• English Bobbinett aka Tulle - 1808 by John Heathcoat, British

• Commercial Egyptian Cotton - 1822 by Mohammed Ali, Egyptian 

• Steam Powered River Boats on the Nile - 1860 by Thomas Cook, British

IMAGE #3 - ‘The Hashish Smoker’ (Fumeuse de haschich) by Émile Bernard, signed ‘Le Caire’ (Cairo)  1900 - Musee d'Orsay

https://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/artworks/fumeuse-de-haschich-1341

From Al-Tally to Assiut

By 1900, the cotton tulle emerged as the most popular ground cloth. Traditionally, Egyptian women wore tulle robes as an outer layer for festive occasions. In Upper Egypt, Assiut al-tally robes were worn by women at festive and celebratory occasions, especially weddings, cultural events, and religious observances.

Image #4 - Lily Elsie as “The Merry Widow” To learn more about this long-running 1906 production, visit Lilie Elsie’s Wikipedia page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily_Elsie

Egypt, Land of Conquest

Since deep antiquity, people have traveled to Egypt to learn, see, and often conquer this land. Greek author and inveterate traveler Herodotus wrote a history of the Greco-Persian wars around 425 BCE.  Egypt was already ancient when the waves of recorded conquest began with the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Ottomans, and the British Protectorate.  During the British Protectorate c1870s-1950s, travelers discovered the beautiful al-tally embriodery work of Upper Egypt.

Image #5: Lady Carnarvon c.1910s.  This is a beautiful portrait of the wife of the wealthy Lord Carnarvon, the “money man” behind numerous Egyptian archeological digs. Most famously, he funded Howard Carter’s dig which unearthed Tutankamoun’s tomb. Interested in learning more about Archeology in the early 20th century, check out the primary source Gaston Maspero’s 1914  “ Manual Of Egyptian Archaeology” https://archive.org/details/GastonMasperoManualOfEgyptianArchaeologyAndGuideToTheStudyOfAntiquitiesInEgypt/

Assiut Shawls for Tourists

Assiut shawls became highly prized, especially among the waves and waves of European Tourists. They were sparkly, easy to pack, and unbreakable. Recommendations to shop for “the Shawls of Assiut” or “Assuit Tinsel Shawls” begin appearing in travel books as early as the 1890s.  

Image #6: Official press photo of Charlotte Wassef, winner of the 1936 Miss Universe competition.  Press photos are excellent sources of dated historical information.  The image appeared in many major publications worldwide.  Here’s an example from “Le Petit Journal Illustré” in Paris: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnkx4BHu9Q1wQWDL5mF1HBOGHqfFFZgBG0w9rCb6z7j_XH1Gwtceg_Tw3Z-taXaNESSt-rZ4C2njEpkmtibZAcraIwRZ1zeaj_PPMOTfNrUDeid14lnu9GZsW3R1tAghQPPv-xasjNzr9o/s3600/Le-Petit-journal-6-10-1935-Charlotte-Wassef-2.jpg

Al-Tally: The National Costume of Egypt

Egyptian beauty contestant Charlotte Wassef of Alexandria at the Miss Universe contest held in Brussels in 1936. For the parade of national garments, Charlotte wore a beautiful al-tally ensemble. Her ensemble consisted al-tally robe and shawl, worn with a traditional crescent moon necklace. This traditional thobe, shawl, and necklace combo was seen in Egyptian movies worn by actresses, singers, and dancers reinforcing the look as one of the beloved and distinctive looks of Egypt. 

Image #7: Billed as the Jamal Twins, this pair of sisters took Egypt by storm.  They moved to India, where their Egyptian dance styling impacted early Bollywood movies. Their archive is now located in Israel’s National Library.  Read more here: https://blog.nli.org.il/en/jamal_sisters/ 

For a bit of info on “Egypt’s Hollywood” check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko4u913U8R4

Al-Tally in Raks Sharki 

The Egyptian film industry emerged in 1927 and soon became known as “Hollywood on the Nile.”  It was the largest Arabic-speaking movie industry and produced thousands of movies through the 20th century. During this era, costume designers moved away from using the traditional robe to style modern Egyptian dance costumes using al-tally fabric. 

Image #8 - Farida Fahmy is an Egyptian dancer, scholar, and movie star.  Check out her 1965 film “Love in Karnak” or “Gharam fi al-Karnak” 

As a scholar, Farida Fahmy wrote her master’s thesis while studying at UCLA: https://www.faridafahmy.com/ThesisVideo.html

For more information about her life and career, pickup new book “Farida, a Memoir” https://www.faridafahmy.com/NewBook.html

Vintage Shawls and Entertainment

During the 1960s-70s the world of entertainment from movie starlets to rock stars discovered, collected, and wore vintage assiut shawls from the turn of the 20th century. Assiut al-tally became a highly sought-after ethnographic textile. As shawls and full garments appeared on stage and screen, the taste for collecting vintage pieces grew, beginning the climb of vintage prices. But if you keep your eyes open while antique and estate sale shopping you might still find a good deal on a vintage beauty.

Image #9 - Barbara Streisand famously pulled this assiut dress and coat from her own closet to wear during the awards scene of the 1976 “A Star is Born” See this two-piece dress and robe in motion in this clip from the movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDWLxmHtVB0&t=1s

Al-tally Re-emerges 

After near extinction during the 1980s, a campaign to renew this art was instituted by 

The Egyptian National Council for Women and Egyptian Society of Folk Traditions teamed up to save this intangible cultural artform that was slowly disappearing. Several petitions for projects were launched via UNICEF and UNESCO to revive this skill and preserve the artistry, traditions, and business of making and selling al-tally. 

Image #10 - Modern Assiut - Modern Designs. California-based designer Terri Hendrix is turning Egyptian fair-trade assiut made in women-owned and run shops into modern designs.  Follow Terri on Facebook to see what she designs and where she’s selling next: https://www.facebook.com/terri.hendrixschoepe

A Tradition Continues

Today it is used by fashion designers, clothing stylists, and vintage textile collectors in both vintage and modern forms. Al-tally shawls are worn once again to celebrate traditional Egyptian weddings. This fabric continues to be a favorite of entertainers from singers to musicians. It is especially for dancers of all styles worldwide.

Image #11: If you enjoyed this article, why not pick up a copy of the book, “The Cloth of Egypt: All About Assiut” available on Amazon https://amzn.to/3yTRWer or Davina’s Etsy Store: 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/240751047/the-cloth-of-egypt-all-about-assiut

About the Author:  Dawn Devine aka Davina is an author, designer, and instructor and runs one of the oldest belly dance websites in the world.  Her books include “Embellished Bras,” “Zills: Music on Your Fingertips,” and the seminal costuming book “Costuming from the Hip.”  For more information about assiut visit her website: www.davina.us or follow her on Facebook or Instagram @davinadevine