June 16, 2023
Via AUC Alumni Folklore Group
Egyptian Actress Tahia Carioca wearing tally/tully dress
A piece of mesh cotton fabric, a long needle originally made out of gold, a gold or silver thread and you get the beautiful tally fabric. Discovered from as early on as the pharaonic times in tombs, the art of tally embroidery was mainly known in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century in Assiut as “tulle-bi-teli”.
A fabric famous for the stories depicted on it through its embroidered motifs, one of its many stories is that of the bride being carried to her home. The motifs are of a geometric style displaying trees, lantern, camel, camel carrying the bride, the bride, candle sticks, candles, Coptic motifs such as the Coptic cross and the palm reeds, Muslim motifs such as the mosque and the Islamic amulet are among the famous symbols embroidered on the tally.
Due to the weight and value of the gold and silver threads, some of these garments weighed up to 2 kilos and were very expensive. By time, pure gold and silver threads were replaced with less expensive metals.
The first well known workshop to maintain the art of making tally was Aziza El Shaarani’s workshop which closed in 1965. Followed by her was the painter Saad Zaghloul in 1994, in order to preserve the heritage of this incredible art.
There came a time where the tally was a huge part of the Egyptian cinema when most of the famous belly dancers would wear them such as Samia Gamal, Tahiya Karioka and others. After which, the garment was used in Hollywood and worn by world wide stars such as Barba Streisand and incorporated in many fashion houses such as Dior.
Nowadays, boutiques such as @tallyna_by_hala have revived this beautiful art and have given it a modern twist for younger generations to enjoy the beauty of this fabric and become a staple once more in today’s modern fashion.
This project is a mutual collaboration between photographer Adam Abdel Ghaffar and AUC Alumni Folklore Group for the love of preserving Egyptian heritage and identity.
Women of Egypt Network 
