Thirteenth International Conference on Design Principles & Practices

Abstract

The Fatimid dynasty was established in the tenth century in what is modern day Tunisia. Their capital was founded in the city of Al-Mahdya from which they expanded their realm to encompass North Africa and Egypt. They founded Cairo in 969 AD. Historic costumes have a special role in the history of humanity because of their ceremonial and intimate relationship with society. These costumes generally preserve traditional arts and crafts that are an important part of the region’s cultural heritage. Most of the Fatimid chronicles that we possess today emanate mainly from historical accounts, anecdotes, and descriptions by historians – contemporary or proceeding their era - however some monuments still remain yet limited illustrations on minor arts such as pottery are still existent. This research builds on surviving historical artifacts in addition to textual accounts and the authors own interpretations and hypothesis to reconstruct the Fatimid wardrobe. The outcome of this study is a visual presentation of the Fatimid costumes according to a scientific approach; resulting in data being transformed into a visual language using manual sketching techniques with colored pencil and ink and edited digitally using photo editing software. Furthermore, designing techniques and terminology are examined. This study fills a gap in the area of historical costumes. Furthermore, the Fatimid’s with their lavish and extravagant attire are also a contribution to creativity and inspirations in the field of fashion and costume design industries.