Taste of Iran 12 of 13 - Persian Gulf - BBC Culture Documentary

[miriams76]

I like that woman at the end who said she didn't believe in such things or understand them herself but could understand why other went for it. She was very forthright and intelligent.

[choghazanbeel]

Even though I used to live in Iran I did not know such nonsense stuff are practiced at those places.

[RuniTravel]

@choghazanbeel > Well now you know ...

[choghazanbeel]

@RuniTravel Yes sir

[pouyaouya]

What is the significance of the mask the women wear?

[RuniTravel]

@pouyaouya > I hope you get an honest reply, believe me I've tried... Its called a Niqāb and info is available in Wikipedia. I'm a behavioural scientist, so I regard this in a more zoological perspective. You might hear lots of contradicting claims on religion itself..Ultimately the Holy Koran has no mention on this issue. it is an affectation of recent times just like widows in Christian Faith used to wear a black veil. ultimately it is a territorial claim (see Desmond Morris "The Naked Ape").

[pouyaouya]

@RuniTravel Thank you for replying! It's just that the mask seems very out of place. It looks to be more suited to a fancy dress party than anything Islamic. Is it African in origin? But they don't wear masks of any sort... anyways this is fascinating to know about the incredibly varied diversity in Iran.

[RuniTravel]

@pouyaouya > It is sometimes alleged that the face-veil was originally part of women's dress among certain classes in the Byzantine Empire and was adopted into Muslim culture during the Arab conquest of the Middle East. However, although Byzantine art before Islam commonly depicts women with veiled heads or covered hair, it does not depict women with veiled faces. ... Suich primary sources show that some women in Arabia and Persia veiled their faces long before Islam (from Wikipedia).