Yashmak: A double veil worn by Turkish Muslim women in public prior to 1928.

Yashmak is a face veil of sheer voile cut into two squares folded diagonally. The folds are placed above and below the eyes, falling over the shoulders and bosom. This was the traditional dress for Muslim women in Turkey. By 1928, three years after Turkey became a republic, the yashmak was banned by the Turkish ruler, Ataturk. Today modern Western dress has been adopted and the Yashmak has disappeared in all but the most remote areas of Turkey.

Donor: Evelyn Morrow Lebedefff