Cornelis van Bruyn: 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. The following descriptions of Cypriot dress range chronologically from the late 17th to the early 19th century:   The Dutchman Cornelis van Bruyn arrived at Larnaca from Alexandretta on April 19, 1683, and wandered about Cyprus until his departure on May 26. He noticed that in Nicosia, where Greeks had their own quarters, silk stuffs and very good dimities were made. He commented that a great deal of cotton was produced and added a comprehensive, though short description of female dress: “The head-dress of the women is just a handkerchief tied round the head, brown or grey striped with black, gold or silver, and sometimes embroidered. They dress in all manners of silk stuffs. Their chemise has a kind of fringe round the neck and on the sleeves, but this is only the stuff itself worked into a kind of lace. The rest of their dress is like that of women in Turkey.” Van Bruyn also commented on the peasants’ appearance: “The peasants have generally very short hair and very long beards, a fashion which I thought remarkable, but not without its beauty. In the country they wear high hats with a broad brim, such as were worn in Holland forty years ago. They are not made in Cyprus, and it would be difficult to say whether they come from Holland or elsewhere.” (Cobham 1908, 239, 243).