Labbade

The Labbade (Arabic: اللبادة, lit. '"beaten" referring to the felting process in which it is made'),[1] also spelled as Labbadeh, Lebbadeh or Lubbaddah is a conical brimless felt cap traditionally worn by Lebanese men.

Not to be confused with Labadee.
Lebanese farmer wearing a labbade with a black scarf as he goes to work, 1925

It is made from sheep's wool and is usually combined with a black scarf during work and with a white silk scarf for celebratory, leisure and formal events.[1] It is sometimes also given an agal at the top for stability.

The origin of the labbade goes back to ancient times where it was first worn by the Phoenicians with depictions of it having been found in Byblos, Kamid al-Lawz and Aleppo.[2]

The fashion persisted into medieval times among the Maronites of Northern Mount Lebanon,[3] where it was especially useful for its natural water-resistance against rain and providing warmth during the cold winters of the mountain. The labbade survived into the modern era still being used by some villagers as well as becoming a national symbol of Lebanon as a part of the traditional folk costume of the country.

Etymology

The word labbade comes from the Lebanese word libada which translates to "beat" or "beaten" and is a reference to the beating of wool in the process of making a labbade.[1]

Process

The making of the labbade is a hand-made felting process. First, the wool threads must be finely separated from one another before being saturated with soap and water. Then, the wool threads are mixed together again and beaten until they solidify into a labbade. The finished product is then soaked with water and put out to dry.[1]

  • Byblos figurines showing some of the oldest depictions of the labbade
  • Temple of Hadad within the Citadel of Aleppo with an engraving of two men wearing ornate forms of the labbade
  • Two Lebanese village boys watching the sunrise. The boy sitting is wearing a labbade while the boy standing has on a tarboosh, c. 1920s
  • Peasant from Btalloun wearing typical mountain headdress. Oil on canvas by Khalil Saleeby, 1926
  • The Oil Seller. Oil on canvas by Moustafa Farroukh, 1934
  • A Peasant from the Bekaa. Watercolor paint by Moustafa Farroukh, 1937
  • Portrait of a Lebanese villager. Oil on plywood by Moustafa Farroukh, 1939
  • Portrait of a muleteer. Oil on canvas by Moustafa Farroukh, 1946
  • Group of men dancing dabke in Beirut while wearing labbades covered with keffiyehs and agals, 1955
  • Uncommon example of a woman wearing a labbade, 1873
  • Brazilian football star Pelé wearing a labbade during a visit to Lebanon, 1975
  • Phoenician traders on the coast of Britain by Frederic Leighton

See also

References
  1. Daher, Antoine (27 October 2017). "القبّعات على أنواعها: اللبّادة -جزء 3". ellearabia.com. elle arabia. Archived from the original on 4 January 2021.
  2. "Origin of Levantine Costumes". Almashriq. Hiof. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010. Small Phoenician statues dug up in Lebanon show this same style of conical cap, while bas reliefs from the Aleppo citadel also depict men wearing a cap of the same proportions as the labbade worn today.
  3. "Origin of Levantine Costumes". Almashriq. Hiof. Archived from the original on 24 February 2010.

"تعرفوا الى ابن حراجل يوسف عقيقي صانع اللبادة رمز الرجولة!". youtube.com. Future TV. 20 Feb 2016.

"يوم جديد: نوستالجيا .. اللبادة اللبنانية". youtube.com. Alghad TV. 2 April 2016.


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