Al-Burqa

Al-Burqa is a type of face and head covering for women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It is a black covering for the face with two openings to show the eyes. It is made of cotton and has multiple layers.

Al-Burqa has become known by several names that have emerged in popular culture, among them al-Burqu, and al-Burqou'. Some Arab poets, both ancient and modern, have addressed al-burqa in their poems. Al-Burqu, al-Burqa, or al-Burqou' (pluralized as al-Baraqi) is a veil that covers the face from the bridge of the nose and is tied to the headdress at the top of the forehead and on both sides. It is a piece of muslin or fine linen fabric the length of the face, and al-Burqa may be made of thick black fabric or green fabric, and may be decorated with some gold coins or precious metals. Al-Burqa covers the woman's entire face except for her eyes.

Al-Burqa completes a woman's attire by covering the front of the neck, concealing the chin and mouth, and being suspended from the top of the head. Black veils were not common in the Hejaz in the early days of Islam; rather, they were widespread in Iraq. Al-Asfahani narrated that a merchant from the people of Kufa came to Al-Madinah with veils and sold all of them, except for the black ones, which remained unsold. He was a friend of the poet Al-Darami, who composed a poem for him, beginning with:

Tell the beauty in the black veil what have you done to the pious worshiper?

Every woman in al-Madinah purchased a black veil, and these veils have remained a staple in al-Madinah ever since.

In the artistic context, the term 'al-Baraqi' gained prominence during the 1970s in one of al-Samri art songs titled 'al-Baraqi', a poem by the Saudi Prince Khalid al-Faisal, performed by the artist Mohammad Abdu in a television recording in 1972.