Ali Bey el Abbassi: Travellers’ accounts concerning Cyprus in: Excerpta Cypria Materials for a History of Cyprus translated and transcribed by Claude Delaval Cobham

Travelogues concerning Cyprus include valuable information about many aspects of life in the island, among other about the appearance of its inhabitants. Clothing is the first item one observes when coming into contact with the people in a foreign country, and is pivotal in creating a first impression of the local population. Travellers refer also to the raw materials and the textiles used for making clothes.   During his stay in Cyprus from March 4 to May 12, 1806, Ali Bey el Abbassi,  paid a visit to the Turkish Governor at Nicosia, who “was splendidly dressed, with a superb fur coat…” The six pages, who treated the guests, were “fifteen years old, all of the same height, beautiful as angels, and richly clothed in satin with superb cashmere shawls…”. He also noticed that Greek women in the street “were covered and hidden by a white sheet, just like Turkish women.” (Cobham 1908, 394, 396).