Burqee “Face Veil”

Burqee, a face veil is, traditionally, an important piece for the woman costume in Sinai tribs in the eastern desert, it is worn only by married Bedouin women, girls are not allowed to wear it but cover only their hair, and it is also be considered a piece of jewelry and accessory for Bedouin women, for it is covered with quantities of “helyat” all around of pieces of silver or white metal or coins or even gold in many cases. Burqee includes symbols of the tribe identity as each tribe has a specific type of Burqee and it is well known by all the trib’s members so that they identify the woman’s affiliation and deal with her accordingly as it is not allowed to deal with women without certain limitations and restrictions, it is also a reflection of the social and economics status for the woman’s family and husband according to the amount of gold pieces the Burqee contains, the more gold contains her Burqee the richer the family and she is beloved from her husband.  On each pleasant occasion women, such as giving birth, especially when it is a male, she gets gold pieces to be added to her Burqee and in the family crisis they sell pieces from it as men consider the gold they offer to their wives is the family treasure and they count on it whenever needed s if it is the family savings. Buqee consists of three parts, the upper called Gabha referring to the Arabic name of the forehead and by it the Burqee is fixed to the inner part of her head cover, in the middle the Garrm, and this part is the main one which differs from tribe to tribe, sometimes it is gold balls like in Dawaghra tribe or coins in Romaylat tribe, the last part is the two sides and called Khadadat referring to the Arabic word Khad which means check and here women normally put beads and coins “helyat” to be replaced by gold whenever it is affordable or she deserves to get some, sometimes when men want to get married to a second ie they must bring gold to the old wife to add it to her Burqee.