HENNA BY JESSICA

                                              The truth about Henna in Arabic world!

Decoration of the skin has been a practice in the Middle East for centuries. Here children have applied it to their hands for a party.

The use of henna and kohl to decorate the skin and eyes is relatively common as was tattooing, though I believe the latter is not so popular nowadays. Tattoos were often used in tribes to distinguish women within the tribe, and I have seen tattooing in Qatar but believe it was unusual. Tribal tatoos tend to be more geometric than those usually seen on women in Qatar which are more floral in character. I believe this may have something to do with influence from the Indian sub-continent. It will be interesting to see if the current trend for tattooing in the West catches on in Qatar to a similar extent.

The practice of using henna for personal adornment has always been associated with special events, particularly weddings, but many take pride in using the plant at regular intervals to decorate the skin and nails of their their hands and feet. This first photograph illustrates the manner in which henna is applied. The crushed plant, together with lemon juice or other similar medium, is painted on with a stick or special pen, the process taking some time to apply depending on the complexity of the design. The wearer then has to wait between four and six hours before the henna is washed off leaving a red stain whose darkness depends on the length of time the henna remained on the skin. The next two photographs illustrate henna patterns applied to hands. The first, incidentally, is holding a finjaan, the traditional coffee cup that looks like an egg cup to Westerners.

This pair of hands decorated with henna is interesting as it represents a different kind of pattern from the traditional Qatari henna patterns. It is similar to the photo above in that it is a cursive design, but it is not an Arabic style owing more, perhaps, to the Indian sub-continent with its free-form design and lack of containing geometry. With close links for centuries with the Indian sub-continent it can be anticipated that there are many design features which take hold in the Gulf.

kohl has also been used for centuries, its particular application being as an eye-liner. When properly applied right next to the white of the eyes and at the root of the eye lashes it dramatically accentuates the eyes. It is one of the most common adornments used by women.

I should also add that ear-piercing is relatively common for women as it is in the West, and you might also see nose piercing though I believe this is more common on women from the Yemen and the Indian sub-continent.

Finally, just as in the West, considerable attention is paid to hair. Only members of the family are likely to see a woman’s hair as it is required to be covered in case it inflames men’s senses. Generally, hair is kept long and is often dyed with a black colourant or with henna which is both a colourant as well as a treatment. While the hair is kept covered there have been times when it was exposed, most traditionally to shame their menfolk into going into battle. This can still be seen in some forms of traditional dance when, usually, young girls sweep their hair from side to side as they dance.