- Collection type
- Object
- Description
- Lačakī, silk cap of purple brocaded silk and edged with a black and gold braid. Worn by Iranian Zoroastrian women.
- Long description
- Lačakī, silk cap constructed from two pieces hand sewn together with turquoise-blue thread. The silk is brocaded with a purple lattice pattern enclosing red and turquoise-blue floral motifs. The headpiece is edged with gold and black braid, and lined with blue and white printed cotton. The lačakī was worn visibly at the front of the head beneath the maklū (1985.6.1) and was designed to draw the hair away from the face. The cap is a fitted bonnet-shape that fits over the head and ears. It is fastened under the chin with the braided edge sitting around the face. It forms part of a traditional outfit worn by Iranian Zoroastrian women, together with garments 1985.6.1–5.
- Date / Period
- Date made: 1900-1930?, uncertain
- Date collected
- By 1985
- Acquisition information
- Purchased: 1985
- Materials and processes
- Material Silk Textile Animal, Material Cotton Seed Fibre Textile Plant, Process Braided, Process Brocaded Woven, Process Printed, Material Yarn Metallic
- Dimensions
- Length 420 mm, Width 185 mm
- Object numbers
- Accession number: 1985.6.2
- Research and responses
This textile was viewed by Azadeh Pashootanizadeh, Associate Professor, Cultural Heritage and Tourism Research Center, Department of Traditional Arts of Iran and Marie Skłodowska Curie Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre for Textile Research, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. Organised as part of the Clothworkers’ Textile Project, 27/11/2025.
In response Azadeh helped us to write the object descriptions, provided local names and the following information;
“Women's Clothing of Iranian Zoroastrians
The clothing of Zoroastrians is considered their second soul, whereas in most countries around the world, clothing is regarded as a second body.
Colors in the color palette of Zoroastrian women's silk clothing carry specific meanings. Green is regarded as a symbol of the Zoroastrian goddess of the earth and thus represents motherhood in the Zoroastrian faith; Zoroastrian brides wear green dresses at their wedding ceremonies. White symbolizes virginity and the water goddess, and Zoroastrian girls wear white clothing during engagement ceremonies. Zoroastrian women's silk garments are worn during religious festivals as well as private celebrations, such as weddings.
Pink or red, when combined with green in the skirts of Zoroastrian women's dresses, is one of the most popular dress codes for Zoroastrian women attending weddings.
Pink is a color obtained by boiling silk threads in a mixture of red pigments and yogurt. The combination of pink and green in skirts was worn by Zoroastrian women under the age of 40, while the red and green combination was reserved for women over 40.
Widows used golden trimmings on the cuffs of their sleeves, but the trimmings were not applied symmetrically to both sleeves. Divorced women, on the other hand, would embroider one sleeve of their garment while leaving the other plain, signaling to observers that they were currently without a spouse and, if interested, could be formally courted.
In traditional Zoroastrian marriage customs, each of the five types of marriage—practiced since the Sasanian era and continuing until approximately a century ago—was associated with a specific colour of the silk Maknā worn by women as part of a codified dress code. The Maknā for Pātaxšāyih marriages was green (Sāvz in the Dari Behdini language); for Ayōk-zan, yellow (Zārd); for Satar(o)r-zan, red (Sowr); for Čākar-zan, blue (Owvi); and for Rāy-zan, purple (Benāfš). Additionally, the colour orange (Nowrenji) was designated for unmarried girls, symbolizing their transitional social status before marriage.
The spoken language of Zoroastrians, Dari Behdini, has two main dialects: Yazdi and Kermani."
Azadeh Pashootanizadeh, 2025 [EW 19/01/2026]
Search terms: Ornament, Clothing Headgear, Religion, Ritual and Ceremonial, Status, Head Ornament, Headdress, Hair Ornament