View source for Chador

{{short description|Traditional Iranian female garment}}
[[File:Arbor Day in Mashhad (3).jpg|thumb|Girls planting [[trees]] in [[Mashhad]] on [[Arbor Day]] wearing chador]]
{{Islamic female dress}}
A '''chador'''{{efn|Alternate spellings in English include ''chadar'', ''chuddar'', and ''chudder'', among others.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuddar|title=CHUDDAR Definition & Meaning|publisher=[[Merriam-Webster.com]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250622062901/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chuddar|archive-date=22 Jun 2025|url-status=live|access-date=26 July 2025}}</ref><ref name="Collins">{{Cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/chador|title=CHADOR definition and meaning|publisher=[[Collins Online Dictionary]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430122115/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/chador|archive-date=30 April 2021|url-status=live|access-date=26 July 2025}}</ref>}}{{efn|{{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|tʃ|ʌ|d|ər}} {{respell|CHUD|ər}}, {{IPAc-en|alsous|ˈ|tʃ|ɑː|-}} {{respell|CHAHD|-}};<ref name="Collins"></ref> {{langx|fa|[[wikt:چادر#Persian|چادر]]|châdor}}, {{IPA|fa|tʃɒːdoɾ|pron}}}} is an outer [[garment]] or open [[cloak]] worn by many women in the Persian-influenced countries of [[women in Iran|Iran]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Pakistan]], and to a lesser extent [[Tajikistan]], as well as in [[Shia]] communities in [[Iraq]], [[Bahrain]], [[Lebanon]], [[India]] and [[Qatif]] in [[Saudi Arabia]] in public spaces or outdoors.

A chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is open down the front. The garment is pulled over the head, and is held closed at the front by the wearer; the chador has no hand openings, buttons, or clasps. It may also be held closed by being tucked under the wearer's arms. The word in [[Classical Persian]] could be used in reference to almost any cloth, headscarf, or even tents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chador word origin |url=https://etymologeek.com/eng/chador |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Etymologeek |language=en}}</ref>{{Failed verification | date = December 2024 | reason = The ref doesn't mention anything about being 'almost any cloth' or headscarf.}} This definition is mostly retained in the Eastern Persian varieties [[Tajik language|Tajiki]] and [[Dari]], which commonly use reflexes of ''chādar'' in reference to almost any cloth or scarf,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Search Engine |url=http://www.afghan-dic.com/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Afghan Dari Dictionary}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=чодар {{!}} Таджикский Словарь |url=http://lugat.tj/index.php?word=%D1%87%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%80 |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Tajik-Russian Dictionary}}</ref> including loosely worn scarves that would be inappropriate to call a chador in [[Iranian Persian]].

Before the 1978–1979 [[Iranian Revolution]], black chadors were reserved for funerals and periods of mourning; colorful, patterned fabrics were the norm for everyday wear. Currently, the majority of Iranian women who wear the chador use the black version outside, and reserve light-colored chadors for indoor use.

==Historical background==

=== Ancient and early Islamic times ===
[[File:Mahd od Owlia.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Malek Jahan Khanom]], [[regent]] of [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar Iran]] in 1848]]
[[Fadwa El Guindi]] locates the origin of the veil in ancient [[Mesopotamia]], where "wives and daughters of high-ranking men of the nobility had to veil".<ref>[[Fadwa El Guindi|El Guindi, Fadwa]] (1999), ''Veil: Modesty, Privacy, and Resistance'', Oxford/New York: Berg, p. 16.</ref> The veil marked class status, and this [[dress code]] was regulated by [[sumptuary law]]s.

One of the first representation of a chador is found on Ergili sculptures and the "Satrap sarcophagus" from Persian Anatolia.<ref name="iranicaII">{{Iranica|clothing-ii|CLOTHING ii. In the Median and Achaemenid periods}}</ref>

Bruhn/Tilke, in their 1941 ''A Pictorial History of Costume'', do show a drawing, said to be copied from an Achaemenid relief of the 5th century BC, of an individual with their lower face hidden by a long cloth wrapped around the head.<ref>Bruhn, Wolfgang, and Tilke, Max (1955), Kostümwerk, Tübingen: Ernst Wasmuth, p. 13, plate 10.</ref> Some have mistakenly claimed this to be a woman, but it is actually a Mede soldier.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-04-13|title=Iran mistakenly promotes hijab with ancient bas-relief of veiled men|url=https://observers.france24.com/en/20150413-iran-hijab-sculptures-veil-men|access-date=2021-11-28|website=The Observers - France 24|language=en}}</ref> [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]] women in art were almost always uncovered.<ref name="iranicaII" /> One of the earliest written records of ''chador'' can be found in [[Pahlavi scripts]] from the sixth century as a female head dress worn by [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] women.<ref name="iranicachad">{{Iranica|cador-a-loose-female-garment-covering-the-body-sometimes-also-the-face|ČĀDOR (2)}}</ref>

It is likely that the custom of veiling continued through the [[Seleucid]], [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]], and [[Sasanian]] periods. Veiling was not limited to noble women but was practiced also by Persian kings.<ref name="iranicachad"/> 

During the Islamic era, the chador retained the meaning of adornment to some extent in Iran, but over time, it took on the meaning of Islam and the Islamic hijab which was one of the concepts of Quran <ref>{{Cite web|url= https://quran.com/24?startingVerse=30|title=˹O Prophet!˺ Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their chastity. That is purer for them. Surely Allah is All-Aware of what they do. And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their chastity, and not to reveal their adornments except what normally appears. Let them draw their veils over their chests, and not reveal their ˹hidden˺ adornments except to their husbands, their fathers, their fathers-in-law, their sons, their stepsons, their brothers, their brothers' sons or sisters' sons, their fellow women, those ˹bondwomen˺ in their possession, male attendants with no desire, or children who are still unaware of women's nakedness. Let them not stomp their feet, drawing attention to their hidden adornments. Turn to Allah in repentance all together, O believers, so that you may be successful.<br />— Surah An-Nur 24:30-31}}</ref> and Islam which was considered a limitation of women.

=== Before Islam ===
In some [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] remaining from the [[Achaemenid]] period, such as a relief in Ergili (in northwestern [[Anatolia]]), a fabric design in [[Pazyryk culture|Pazyryk]], and certain Greek-Iranian seals, coverings resembling modern-day chadors can be observed. Some statues from the Parthian period depict women wearing coverings similar to chadors, placed over a [[headscarf]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2025|reason=There is no such thing in the Pazyryk carpet, and the Anatolian relief is not directly related to Iran (it may be belongs to an assyrian woman). Please provide evidence regarding the seals and statues}}

=== After Islam ===
During the Islamic period, the chador merely represented one type of clothing adapted to comply with Islamic dress codes and has never had a [[uniform]] function, shape, stitching, size, or even color. Based on literary evidence, in both pre- and post-Islamic Iran, the chador was used both as a covering for the face or head and as a full-body [[garment]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

In its latter meaning, the chador has found various synonyms in Arabic, one of which is "Hibrā." This term referred to the women’s covering during the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] period (41–132 AH) and was considered a type of mulāyah. Mulāyah was the common covering for women outside the home in the early [[Abbasid Caliphate|Abbasid]] period (132–656 AH), which covered the entire body. In one of the illustrations from a copy of "Al-Maqamat" by Al-Hariri, women are seen wearing coverings similar to today’s chador at gatherings of sermon and justice, dating back to no later than the mid-6th century.

Our understanding of the exact description of this covering, regardless of its name, is largely related to more recent periods, particularly from the [[Safavid Iran|Safavid]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] eras onwards. Accordingly, women did not view the chador solely as a veil or covering; aesthetic considerations, especially in the choice of fabric and decorations, played a significant role. The influence of women’s financial status and social class was evident in determining the [[fabric]] and embellishments of the chador.

Elite women in Fes, unlike ordinary women in [[Morocco]], adorned the edges of their chadors with white silk or other colors during the Ottoman period, fastening them with large gold or silver rings at the chest. During the [[Qajar]] period, the chadors of elite women were often made of silk, while less affluent women used "Dabit" fabric for their chadors. Elite women embroidered their black chadors with gold thread and attached silver or silver-plated borders, which gradually gave way to red borders in colors like blue, brown, and white, measuring two fingers wide. During this period, "Abaya" chadors, which were highly valuable and imported from Baghdad, were in high demand among these women.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=چادر - ویکی فقه |url=https://fa.wikifeqh.ir/%DA%86%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%B1#_%D9%82%D8%A8%D9%84%20%D8%A7%D8%B2%20%D8%A7%D8%B3%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%85 |access-date=2024-09-24 |website=fa.wikifeqh.ir}}</ref>

===Pahlavi ===
[[File:Abolitionofveil.jpg|thumb|450px|right|Military commanders of the Iranian armed forces, government officials, and their wives commemorating the abolition of the veil in 1936]]
The 20th century [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavi]] ruler [[Reza Shah]] banned the ''chador'' and all hijab during the [[Kashf-e hijab]] in 1936, as incompatible with his modernizing ambitions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/12/iran-mandatory-veil-change-views.html|title=More veils lift as topic loses political punch in Iran|last=mshabani|date=10 December 2015}}</ref> According to Mir-Hosseini, as cited by El Guindi, "the police were arresting women who wore the veil and forcibly removing it". This policy outraged the [[Twelver Shia]] clerics, and ordinary men and women, to whom "appearing in public without their cover was tantamount to nakedness". However, she continues, "this move was welcomed by Westernized and upperclass men and women, who saw it in liberal terms as a first step in granting women their rights".<ref>[[Fadwa El Guindi|El Guindi, Fadwa]] (1999), ''Veil: Modesty, Privacy, and Resistance'', Oxford/New York: Berg, p. 174.</ref>

{{quote|Eventually, rules of dress code were relaxed, and after Reza Shah's abdication in 1941, the compulsory element in the policy of unveiling was abandoned, though the policy remained intact throughout the Pahlavi era. According to Mir-Hosseini, 'between 1941 and 1979, wearing hejab [hijab] was no longer an offence, but it was a real hindrance to climbing the social ladder, a badge of backwardness, and a marker of class. A headscarf, let alone the chador, prejudiced the chances of advancement in work and society not only of working women, but also of men, who were increasingly expected to appear with their wives at social functions. Fashionable hotels and restaurants sometimes even refused to admit women with chador, schools and universities actively discouraged the chador, although the headscarf was tolerated. It was common to see girls from traditional families, who had to leave home with the chador, arriving at school without it and then putting it on again on the way home'.<ref>[[Fadwa El Guindi|El Guindi, Fadwa]] (1999), ''Veil: Modesty, Privacy, and Resistance'', Oxford/New York: Berg, pp. 174–175.</ref>}}

=== Iranian Revolution ===
After the Iranian Revolution, compulsory hijab were introduced, which was met with opposition from women during the [[International Women's Day Protests in Tehran, 1979]].[[File:Irán (RPS 16-10-2019) comprando en el bazar.jpg|thumb|Women in [[Shiraz]], Iran, 2019, wearing chadors|258x258px]]In April 1980, during the Iranian Cultural Revolution, it was decided that it would be mandatory for women in government offices and educational institutions to observe the veil.<ref name="Ramezani10">Ramezani, Reza (2010). ''Hijab dar Iran az Enqelab-e Eslami ta payan Jang-e Tahmili [Hijab in Iran from the Islamic Revolution to the end of the Imposed war]'' (Persian), Faslnamah-e Takhassusi-ye Banuvan-e Shi’ah [Quarterly Journal of Shiite Women], Qom: Muassasah-e Shi’ah Shinasi, {{ISSN|1735-4730}}</ref> In 1983, a dispute regarding the veiling broke out, and public conflict was motivated by the definition of veiling and its scale (so-called "bad hijab" issue), sometimes followed even by clashes against those who were perceived to wear improper clothing.<ref name="Ramezani10"/> Government felt obligated to deal with this situation; so, on 26 July 1984, Tehran's public prosecutor issued a statement and announced that stricter dress-code is supposed to be observed in public places such as institutions, theaters, clubs, hotels, motels, and restaurants, while in the other places, it should [[peer pressure|follow the pattern]] of the overwhelming majority of people.<ref name="Ramezani10"/> Stricter veiling implies both chador and more loosely [[khimar]]-type headscarf, along with [[overcoat]].

== Usage ==
Before the 1978–1979 [[Iranian Revolution]], black chadors were worn by many women and girls for different purposes. Light, printed fabrics were the norm for everyday wear. Currently, the majority of women who wear the chador reserve the usage of light-colored chadors for around the house or for prayers. Most women who still go outside in urban areas in a light-colored chador are elderly women of rural backgrounds. During the reign of the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Shah of Iran]], such traditional clothing was largely discarded by the wealthier urban upper-class women in favor of modernity for western clothing, although women in small towns and villages continued to wear the chador. Traditionally a light coloured or printed chador was worn with a [[headscarf]] (''rousari''), a [[blouse]] (''pirahan''), and a long [[skirt]] (''daaman''); or else a blouse and skirt or dress over pants (''[[shalvar]]''), and these styles continue to be worn by many rural Iranian women, in particular by older women.
[[File:Iranian Girls in the 22 Bahman 2017 rally by Tasnimnew.com07.jpg|thumb|Iranian girls at a 2017 rally wearing chadors]]
On the other hand, in Iran, the chador does not require the wearing of a veil. Inside the home, particularly for urban women, both the chador and the veil have been discarded, and there, women and teenagers wore cooler and lighter garments; while in modern times, [[rural women]] continue to wear a light-weight printed chador inside the home over their clothing during their daily activities. The chador is worn by some Iranian women, regardless of whether they are [[Sunni]] or Shia, but is considered traditional to Persian Iranians, with Iranians of other backgrounds wearing the chador or other traditional forms of attire. For example, Arab Iranian women in Western and Southern Iran retain their overhead [[abaya]] which is similar to the overhead abaya worn in [[Iraq]], [[Kuwait]], and [[Bahrain]].

== Color of chador ==
The choice of chador color was influenced by women’s tastes, which were also affected by their age and social standing. For example, Egyptian women in the years 1249-1251 AH (1833-1835 AD) wore black [[silk]] chadors, while their daughters wore white ones. In [[Turkey]], after the reforms, despite the prevalence of chadors in various colors, younger women preferred turquoise, jade, and purple shades.

In Qajar Iran, elite women often favored black or dark purple and blue chadors. Today, while in cities—especially larger ones—the color of women’s chadors worn outside the home is predominantly black, in rural areas and cities with traditional cultural symbols, colorful chadors are still observed. Women’s prayer chadors, both in urban and rural areas, are generally lighter in color and often white.<ref name=":0" />

== {{anchor|India|Pakistan}} Beyond Iran ==
The Persian word entered [[South Asia]], and appeared in the [[Hindustani language]] as '''{{transliteration|hi|cādar}}''' ({{wikt-lang|hi|चादर}}, anglicized as ''chaddar'', ''chuddar'' and ''chudder'').<ref>{{cite web |title=Chudder |url=https://www.thefreedictionary.com/Chudder |website= American Heritage Dictionary (in: The Free Dictionary) |quote=A cotton shawl traditionally worn in India by men and women}}</ref> 
However, an Indian and Pakistani cādar may more closely resemble a [[dupatta]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Habib|first1=Kiran|last2=Khan|first2=Foqia Sadiq|title=Women and Human Security in South Asia: The Cases of Bangladesh and Pakistan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O2AiAQAAMAAJ|year=2008|publisher=University Press|page=108|quote= the woman was sent back on the horse with gifts and a ''chaddar / dupatta'', signifying that a woman's honour has remained intact}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Leitner|first=Gottlieb William|title=A Detailed Analysis of Abdul Ghafur's Dictionary of the Terms Used by Criminal Tribes in the Panjab|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_qgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PR5|year=1880|publisher=Punjab Government Civil Secretariat Press|page=5|quote= “Chándá kar le” for “Take off the sheet or chaddar or dupatta”}}</ref> In many [[Indo-Aryan languages]] like [[Hindi]] & [[Bengali language|Bengali]], cādar is the vernacular term used to refer to the [[uttariya]]. The Hindustani word can also refer to other type of sheets, such as bed sheets.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Platts |first1=John T. |title=A Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/platts_query.py?page=416 |website=Digital Dictionaries of South Asia |page=416 |date=1884 |quote=ćādar, s.f. A sheet; a table-cloth; a covering; a coverlet; a calico mantle or wrapper (of one fold, which reaches from the head to the ankles)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=चादर |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/चादर |website=Collins Hindi-English Dictionary |quote=A sheet is a large rectangular piece of cloth that you sleep on or cover yourself with in a bed.}}</ref>
There are also a small [[Haredi Judaism|Haredi Jewish]] groups in which the women wear black head-to-toe cloaks similar to the chador, such as the extremist ''[[Lev Tahor]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-court-rules-south-american-ultra-orthodox-sect-is-a-dangerous-cult | title=Israeli court rules Central American ultra-Orthodox sect is a 'dangerous cult' | website=[[The Times of Israel]] }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Fashion|Iran}}
* [[Çarşaf]]
* [[Headscarf]]
* [[Women in Iran]]
* [[Islamic veiling practices by country]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|40em}}

==Further reading==
{{Commons category}}
{{Refbegin}}
* Briant, Pierre (2002), ''From Cyrus to Alexander'', Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns
* Bruhn, Wolfgang, and Tilke, Max (1973), ''A Pictorial History of Costume'', original published as ''Kostümwerk'', 1955, Tübingen: Ernst Wasmuth
* [[Fadwa El Guindi|El Guindi, Fadwa]] (1999), ''Veil: Modesty, Privacy, and Resistance'', Oxford/New York: Berg
* [[Ziba Mir-Hosseini|Mir-Hosseini, Ziba]] (1996), "Stretching The Limits: A Feminist Reading of the Shari'a in Post-Khomeini Iran," in Mai Yamani (ed.), ''Feminism and Islam: Legal and Literary Perspectives'', pp.&nbsp;285–319. New York: New York University Press
* [[Marjane Satrapi]] (2000), "Persepolis"{{Refend}}

{{Iran topics}}

[[Category:Islamic female clothing]]
[[Category:History of Asian clothing]]
[[Category:Iranian clothing]]
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Robes and cloaks]]
[[Category:Shia Islam]]
[[Category:Veils]]