How to Dress for Taharian Role Play

It’s part of the SIM rules to wear the appropriate attire.

However, the waste majority of people you see on the SIM do not dress the part. I have chosen to believe that it’s because of them not knowing any better not because they are ignorant.

Hence the reason I would like to elaborate a little on the topic in today’s article. Lets look at a quote from tribesmen to start with:

The movements of the men of the Tahari are, during the hours of heat, usually slow, almost languid or graceful. They engage in little unnecessary movement. They do not, if they can help it, overheat themselves. They sweat as little as possible, which conserves body fluid. Their garments are loose and voluminous, yet closely woven. The outer garment when in caravan, usually the burnoose, is almost invariable white.

This color reflects the rays of the sun. The looseness of the garments, acting as a bellows in movement, circulates air about the body, which air, circulating, over the body, cools the body by evaporation; the close weave of the garment is to keep the moisture and water, as much as possible, within the garment, preferrably condensing back on the skin. There are two desiderata which are cruicial in these matters; the first is to minimize perspiration; the second is to retain as much moisture, lost through perspiration, as is possible on the body.
Tribesmen of Gor, page 73

Sorry guys, its white not black!

Nothing is more ridiculous in a SIM portraying a desert then a man with a black kilt and naked breast.  It’s just not Taharian, in fact it’s not even Gorean.

The burnoose is the loose, billowing outer robes favored by the men of the Tahari in caravan; it is a sleeveless,hooded desert cloak. This robe is preferred by those wielding scimitars.

Usually it is of white in color to reflect the rays of the sun. The burnoose is very loose and flowing to keep the wearer cool. Also, there is the djellaba for men, which is a striped, hooded loose robe.

The kaffiyeh is the head covering of the tribesmen of the Tahari; it is a folded, square cloth that is worn folded into a triangle and placed over the head. It consists of two points at the side of the shoulders and one in back to protect the back of the neck. Also, a head scarf/wrapped turban wound around the head, much often a repcloth worn by lower class males; acts as a cushion for carrying burdens on the head. The agal is a length of cord which is used to bind the kaffiyeh to the head, usually several loops secure it.

Samos turned away from the girl. He indicated to me a man who sat at a far end of one of the low tables. He did not drink wine or paga. The man, rare in Port Kar, wore the kaffiyeh and agal. The kaffiyeh is a squarish scarf, folded over into a triangle, and placed over the head, two points at the side of the shoulders, one in back to protect the back of the neck. It is bound to the head by several loops of cord, the agal. The cording indicates tribe and district.
Tribesmen of Gor, page 20

Men of the Tahari wore slippers rather than boots. They are cooler, circulate air, and can be easily slipped on and off while riding.

Free Women wore gowns, cloaks and veils. The most common was the haik, which is actually worn by both Free Women and slaves. It is often black and covers a woman from head to toe. A tiny piece of black lace lies over the eyes so that she may see. The women also wear black, non-heeled slippers with curled toes decorated sometimes with a line of silver thread. Slaves are naked beneath a haik save for their collar.

The general clothing of the Taharian slaves is chalwar. Chalwar by definition is much similar to the harem trousers of earth; the pants bear a sash The pants are a baggy diaphanous silk, very sheer. The vest is of the same color, also silk, and bears the midriff. In the Kasbah, girls in training as ‘whitesilks’ will wear white. Once moving on, the color is silver of the state slave. Slaves also wear the haik, but underneath they are naked, save for their collars and wear slave bells so one knows its a slave not a free woman.

Also included in a slave’s attire may be the slave djellaba which is repcloth and varies in color, coming high on the thighs of the wearer. In the caravan, it is what a slave may use to sleep in.

Slaves also wore veils held by a tiny (sometimes golden) string, ear rings, bangles on wrists and ankles, and dancing chains.

Here some examples:

The first one is pretty close to how a tribesman is described in the book. The turban is not exactly right but close enough. We don’t want to be pedantic either. Then you see a slave girl in the typical chalwar and last in a haik which is worn by free women and slaves alike. It is utter non sense for a salve girl running around in the desert in silks and half naked.  The sun would literally  fry her in no time!

Tribesman of Gor

Slave Girl in Chalvar

Slave Girl in Haik

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