National Historical Museum

The chemise is made of striped white cotton fabric. The back and front are made from a single piece of material, with no stitching at the shoulders. There is a vertical opening at the breast and around the neck, and the sleeves are made of delicate white material and sewn vertically to the body.

The chemise is part of the every day costume worn in Karpasia.

According to G.S. Frangoudis, this consisted of ‘‘a full-length chemise, pantaloons that flare at the bottom, a kerchief on the head, and pumps on the bare feet. This is everday dress worn by women of Karpasia and other parts’’. Φραγκούδης, Γ.Σ., Ο ριζοσπάστης, Εν Αθήναι, 1901, σελ. 37

The cap is made of white calico lined with white cotton material. The two materials are crocheted together, creating dense hand-sewn concentric circles at the top.

A gathered strip of material is sewn around the crown, creating a series of zig-zag lines all over the surface, which are punctuated by green and red petrou(d)es sewn in vertical rows. The triangular spaces in between the zig-zag lines are filled with drawn-thread work beads.

This cap worn by both communities, Greek Cyppriot and Turkish Cypriot. 

The sleeveless male yileko is made of blue felt. The back consists of a single piece of material and the front of two pieces, leaving a round opening at the neck.

The outside of the yileko is decorated with a variety of patterns worked in silk and silver gaitania, silver garlands, and twisted silver braids. The yileko crosses either side, with four woven silk buttons and four loops, and the neck there is a button on each side woven of silver-thread with a red bead at the top. The front panels have two decorative pockets of semi-circular cut adorned with silver gaitania and twisted braid worked in delicate patterns.

The yileko is lined with white cotton material and is trimmed around with a band of blue felt.

The yileko is made of dimity material (alatzia) with coloured horizontal stripes. The material is the same as that of the bottom part of the zibouni inv.no. 2301a, together with which it was worn forming the yilekozibouno combination.

The back and sides are made from the same piece of material, which is sewn to the two front pieces at the sides and shoulders. The two front pieces and in points and cross on eithe side on the breast, leaving a horseshoe-shaped opening. On the right side there is a pocket of the same material. 

The yileko is lined with white cotton material. The finishes, stitching and outline of the pocket have five thick brown cotton threads sewn to them. On the front and the two rows of buttons set obliquely. The slit in the back is fastened by similar threads cross-laced through loops

The zibouni is made of cotton alatzia, with brown and blue hecks woven into it. The material of the lower part is dimity with horizontal stripes of green, red, yellow, brown and mustard. The back and front are formed of a single piece of material, with no stitching at the shoulders. The vertical opening at the front has a small oblique panel of material attached all the way up, which flares at the bottom. There are two triangular pieces of alatzia under the arms. The long sleeves are sewn vertically to the body and have an obliquely cut opening at the bottom, lined with striped material that is visible when the sleeve is turned back.

The zibouni is lined with white cotton material woven on the loom and has an inside pocket made of the same material on the left side. The insides of the openings are lined with delicate webbing made of the same alatzia

The yileko is made of red felt. The back is made of a single piece, and the front consists of two pieces that cross either side and are fastened vertically by three braided buttons gold thread.

There is a button sewn on each side below the round opening at the neck, and a pocket on the right side.

The joins, the outline of the pocket, and the hems of the openings are decorated with gaitania of metallic thread, an attached gold-woven band with garlands of branches and flowers made of tirtiri woven into it, and gold twisted braids, all forming a variety of volute patterns.

The fermeli is made of red felt. the back is of a single piece of material, and the front is made of two pieces fastened vertically by six buttons braided of naturally coloured silk thread. At the centre of the front there is a semi-circular false pocket formed of gold gaitania and twisted gold braid. The fermeli has an upright collar and long sleeves, sewn vertically to the back and hanging free front.

The sleeves and edges of the openings are richly trimmed with gaitania and braids, forming a variety of spiral motifs. the opening at the front is further adorned with an attached gold-woven band in which flowers and zig-zag line are woven. the fastening loops are secured in position by an attached vertical gold band woven with gaitania and braids of twisted multi-coloured silk threads.

The fermeli is lined with white cotton material, and the collar and sleeves have a lining of striped cotton material adorned with printed garlands and bouquets of flowers.

According to the written sources, the frmeli was worn in Cyprus at the end of the 18th century.

The vraka is made of thick cotton material dyed black in the traditional manner. It is the kind of vraka worn by monks, which has a different cut from the rest and is longer.

The secular dress worn by the village priests, who also engaged in farm work, is similar to that of the villagers. It consists of a vraka, yileko, zibouni and sash, the distinctive item being the head cover, the kalymafchi, which was worn in the countryside with a headkerchief called the kaspastin.

The yileko is made of checked cotton material in red, blue and green. The back is made of a single piece of material, and has a vertical slit with loops made of a red gaitani, through which a braid is laced to fasten it.

The pieces at the front cross either side, with ten white buttons set obliquenly, and form a triangular opening at the neck. The yileko fastens by means of brown threads forming series of loops.

The entire yileko is decorated with sequins, woolen threads, multi-coloured braids, gaitania and seiritia, worked into vegetal and floral patterns. On the right side of the front this decoration is supplemented by a pocket of yellow silk material, with a female figure worked in braids, wool and sequins.

The inside of the yileko is lined with white cotton material.

The yileko is made of striped white cotton alatzia. The back and the front are made of a single piece of material, with no stitching at the shoulders. There is a vertical opening at the front.

At the sides, a vertical strip with weaving stripes placed horozontally, in the oposite direction to the back and front, is sewn beneath the arm with routzela stitch. The sides have slits at the bottom.

The yileko is lind with bleached cotton material.

The entire breast, on both sides of the opening, is completely covered with attached patterns worked in silk brisimi and green and red threaded patrou(d)es, and the back has a similar triangular pattern ending in spiral. The vertical opening has a row of loops of braided brisimi, with beads of various colours used for the buttons.

The yileko is made of the same materials and has the same style of decoration as the sarka inv.no 2299.