Producer unknown to us
A pair of women’s cloqs
Asia, Iraq, Baghdad
Before 1962
Wood, leather, carved, tanned, sewn, nailed
Lothar Stein (former museum director) acquired these cloqs during a research trip to Iraq in 1960–62
Purchased by the Museum from Stein in 1962
WAs 2018 a, b
High-heeled leather sandals with wooden soles (“qabqab”) were commonly worn by Arab women and girls in the cities of Iraq during the mid-20th century. The collector interpreted them as a bridge between “traditional” Arab and “modern” European clothing styles for the country.
Lothar Stein (*1935) studied Arabic in Iraq from 1960 to 1962, during which time he conducted field research with local communities. From his time there, he brought back 280 objects he had acquired for the Leipzig Museum with funds from the GDR State Secretariat for Higher and Technical Education, or items received as gifts from colleagues.
Frank Usbeck