TheLabbadeh[a] (Arabic:اللبادة,lit. 'beaten'),[1] is a conical brimlessfelt cap traditionally worn byLebanese men.[2][3][4][5][6][7]
It is made from sheep's wool and is usually combined with a black scarf during work and with a white silk scarf for celebratory, leisure and formal events.[1][4]
The origin of the labbadeh goes back to ancient times, depictions of it were found inByblos,Kamid al-Lawz,Aleppo andTel Michal.[8] Also in reliefs found in Assyrian reliefs of Phoenicians bringing presents to Assyrian Kings and in Persian reliefs of Phoenicians bringing presents to Persian Kings.
The fashion persisted into medieval times across all of Lebanon among the people ofMount Lebanon,[9]Beqaa,South Lebanon andNorth Lebanon. TheLabbadeh survived into the modern era still being used by some villagers in Mount Lebanon, as well as becoming a national symbol of Lebanon as a part of the traditional folk costume of the country.[10]
The word labbadeh comes from theLebanese Arabic wordlibada which translates to "beat" or "beaten" and is a reference to the beating of wool in the felting process of which it is made.[1]
The making of the labbadeh is a hand-madefelting process. First, the wool threads must be finely separated from one another before being saturated with soap and water. Then, the wool threads are mixed together again and beaten until they solidify into a labbadeh. The finished product is then soaked with water and put out to dry.[1][4]
The Lebanese[7] Labbadeh goes back toPhoenician times.[2][10][11] Statuettes assumed to bevotive offerings have been found scattered across the Levant with the most numerous found in ancient Phoenician temples in Byblos where they have since been dubbed theByblos figurines.
According to the Lebanese archaeologistMaurice Chehab:
A good number of statuettes, placed in these vases, are depicted in full motion and wearing thelebbadé or conical cap, which is still in use in certain regions of Lebanese high mountain. This headdress was held on the head by a chinstrap. One of the ex-votos included several dozen of these statuettes so similar that one can imagine that they represented a troop that would have offered their sponsors [effigies] to the temple before embarking.[12]
The use of the labbadeh for practical purposes began to decline around the mid-20th century.[7] However, the headdress is experiencing a revival movement notably in the village ofHrajel where a workshop has been opened by local farmer Youssef Akiki with the intent of preserving the tradition and knowledge of the labbadeh.[13]
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قال "عقيقي"، لـ"القاهرة الإخبارية"، إن اللبادة يرجع تاريخها في لبنان إلى الفينيقيين، وصارت تتوارث من جيل إلى آخر، خصوصًا سكان المناطق الجبلية، الذين يرتدونها بسبب برودة الطقس.["Akiki" told "Cairo News" that the history of the labbadeh in Lebanon dates back to the Phoenicians, and it has been passed down from one generation to the next, especially among the inhabitants of the mountainous regions, who wear it because of the cold weather.]
عكس الطربوش اللي يعتبر عثماني، اللبادة أصلها لبناني، واستخدمها الشعب اللبناني لقرون طويلة.[Unlike the tarboosh, which is considered Ottoman, the labbadeh is of Lebanese origin and has been used by the Lebanese people for centuries.]
Small Phoenician statues dug up in Lebanon show this same style of conical cap, while bas reliefs from the Aleppo citadel also depict men wearing a cap of the same proportions as the labbade worn today.
Note the papyrus background, the light mobile furniture in wickerwork of identical type to that reproduced on the Yaba and Golgoi bowls (below, n. 29), as well as the Phoenician lebbadé headdress worn by the singer of a group of musicians also present on the latter (Gubel 1987, loc. cit., Meyer 1987, 167–180).
"تعرفوا الى ابن حراجل يوسف عقيقي صانع اللبادة رمز الرجولة!".youtube.com.Future TV. 20 Feb 2016.
"يوم جديد: نوستالجيا .. اللبادة اللبنانية".youtube.com. Alghad TV. 2 April 2016.