Hawran Plateau: Bonnet Makers (mèaraka)

Date: Early-nineteenth century

The mèaraka are bonnets worn by Bedouin men. Usually, they are knitted using camel hair, although goat hair, which are esteemed to have a higher quality, or a blend of both, are sometimes used as well. Women are the main producers of the bonnet, and they use a simple loom (nutou) to make them. Also mentioned are: wool manufacturers, provision bags, camel bags, and tent-covers (rowáks).

Citation: Burckhardt, John Lewis, Notes on the Bedouins and Wahábys, collected during his Travels in the East, by the late John Lewis Burckhardt (London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, 1831. Reprinted, New York and London: Johnson Reprint Company, 1967), pp.67-69.