Monastic Headdresses in Coptic Art: Qaslah or Qalansuwa”? An Iconographical Study on Coptic Artifacts From the 10th Till the 18th Century

Abstract

Monastic vestment composes a fundamental and crucial part of Coptic heritage. It distinguishes the monastic life and form a distinctive image of the new monk. Liturgical headdress was an early part of the monastic costume, and they were used to distinguish the monk in the monastic hierarchy. The qaslah and the qalansuwa are among those headdress applied on Coptic artifacts; and looks similar and confusing to distinguish among them thus; this paper aims to study their symbolism, history and depictions on Coptic artifacts from the 10 th till the 18 th century, through an iconographical and analytical methodology of work.