Siwa Wedding Shawl

The oasis Siwa in western Egypt is where Alexander the Great consulted the oracle before he ventured to India. The Berber people of Siwa developed their own unique embroidery. Meant to bring luck by employing six colors and using an ancient vocabulary of solar symbols in a linear form, these embroideries are done on cheap cotton or synthetic material, adorning dresses, shawls and pants, all parts of bridal wear.