Muqayyash (Muqqaish, Mukkaiish, Mukaish, Mukesh, मुक़य्यश, "مقیش" ) is an ancient craft of brocade embroidery work with silver yarn on silk cloth from Gujarat, India. The silk is ornamented with a silver stripe pattern. Muqayyash is one of the Mughal period silk cloth, and it is recorded in Ain-i-Akbari.[1][2][3][4][5] The muqayyash was one of the fine brocades of Gujrat among a tus, daraibaf, kurtahwar. It was one of the expensive cloths of that time, priced at 2-50 gold Muhr.[6][7]
Name
Muqayyash is an Arabicized word driven from the Hindi word Kesh, which means hairs.[8] Muqayyash is also known as badla and fardi work.[9] The Mukaish work with smaller stitch was called Murri ka kaam, taka, dana.[10]
Use
Muqayyash has been in use since at least the Mughal empire, and Nur Jahan wore such silver embellished clothes.[11] However, it may be older. Originally, it was used to make small embellishments to clothes in conjunction with chikankari embroidery, but recent designs have started to use it more extensively by itself. It may be done on a variety of base fabrics, from chiffon to sturdier silks.[12]
Present fashion
Silk clothes with Muqayyash work are famous for bridal and festival wear and ladies sari. Muqayyash work is still fashionable with celebrities in Bollywood. It is one of the techniques favored by Indian fashion designers like Manish Malhotra, Anjul Bhandari, and more.[13][12][14]Priyanka Chopra wore a mukaish work ivory sari while receiving the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award at the 2019 UNICEF Snowflake Ball on December 3. The sari was designed by Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla.[15]
^Muqayyash is silk with stripes of silver— the Ghiyds says that Muqayyash comes from the Hind, kesh, hair to which the silver-stripes are compared, and that it is an Arabicized form of the Hindi word as qaranful, a clove, for the Hind, karnphul ; itrifal, a kind.[1]
