Editing Burqa (section)

==Pre-Islamic use of the face veil==
{{See also|Head covering for Christian women|Head covering for Jewish women|}}
[[File:Temple_of_baal07(js).jpg|thumb|upright|Pre-Islamic relief showing veiled Middle Eastern women, [[Temple of Bel|Temple of Baal]], Palmyra, Syria, 1st century AD (in Iran)]]
[[File:A_Coptic_woman_of_the_Poorer_Class._(1918)_-_TIMEA.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|[[Copts|Coptic Orthodox Christian]] woman wearing a garment with a [[Christian head covering]] (1918)]]
The face veil was originally part of women's dress among certain classes in the [[Byzantine Empire]].<ref>See for instance F. R. C. Bagley, "Introduction", in B. Spuler, ''A History of the Muslim World. The Age of the Caliphs'', 1995, X; for a different view T. Dawson, "Propriety, practicality and pleasure : the parameters of women's dress in Byzantium, A.D. 1000-1200", in L. Garland (ed.), ''Byzantine women: varieties of experience 800-1200'', 2006, 41-76.</ref>

However, although Byzantine art before Islam commonly depicts women with veiled heads or covered hair, it does not depict women with veiled faces. In addition, the Greek geographer [[Strabo]], writing in the 1st century AD, refers to some [[Persians|Persian]] women veiling their faces;<ref>''Geography'' 11.13.9-10.:"[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0198%3Abook%3D11%3Achapter%3D13%3Asection%3D10 Some say that Medeia introduced this kind of dress when she, along with Jason, held dominion in this region, even concealing her face whenever she went out in public in place of the king] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221063028/http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0198%3Abook%3D11%3Achapter%3D13%3Asection%3D10 |date=21 December 2016 }}"</ref> and the early third-century Christian writer [[Tertullian]] clearly refers in his treatise ''The Veiling of Virgins'' to some "pagan" women of "Arabia" wearing a veil that covers not only their head but also the entire face.<ref>''The Veiling of Virgins'' Ch. 17. Tertullian writes, "The pagan women of Arabia, who not only cover their head but their whole face, so that they would rather enjoy half the light with one eye free than prostitute the face, will judge you."</ref>{{efn|{{langx|la|Judicabunt vos Arabiae feminae ethnicae quae non-caput, sed faciem totam tegunt, ut uno oculo liberato contentae sint dimidiam frui lucem quam totam faciem prostituere}}}} [[Clement of Alexandria]] commends the contemporary use of face coverings.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02093.htm |title=Clement of Alexandria, 'Going to Church' Chapter XI, Book 3, Paedagogus |quote=Woman and man are to go to church decently attired, with natural step, embracing silence, possessing unfeigned love, pure in body, pure in heart, fit to pray to God. Let the woman observe this, further. Let her be entirely covered, unless she happen to be at home. For that style of dress is grave, and protects from being gazed at. And she will never fall, who puts before her eyes modesty, and her shawl; nor will she invite another to fall into sin by uncovering her face. |publisher=New Advent Fathers |access-date=25 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131116065852/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02093.htm |archive-date=16 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02092.htm |title=Clement of Alexandria, "On Clothe"' Chapter XI, Book 2, ''Paedagogus'' |publisher=New Advent Fathers |access-date=25 October 2013 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309054834/http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/02092.htm |archive-date=9 March 2014}}</ref> There are also two [[Bible|Biblical]] references to the employment of covering face veils in Genesis 38:14 and Genesis 24:65,<ref>{{bibleverse|Genesis|38:14}}, {{bibleverse|Genesis|24:65}}</ref> by Tamar and by Rebeccah, Judah and Abraham's daughters-in-law respectively.<ref>{{cite journal |jstor = 3265124 |last = Astour |first = Michael |title = Tamar the Hieronodule |journal = Journal of Biblical Literature |volume = 85 |issue = 2 |pages = 185–196 |date = June 1966 |doi = 10.2307/3265124 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.studylight.org/dic/bed/view.cgi?number=T579 |title= 'Prostitution' in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology |publisher= Baker Academic |isbn= 9780801020759 |access-date= 5 April 2014 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140407085319/http://www.studylight.org/dic/bed/view.cgi?number=T579 |archive-date= 7 April 2014|date= May 2001 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last= Westenholtz |first= Joan |title= Tamar, Qědēšā, Qadištu, and Sacred Prostitution in Mesopotamia |journal= Harvard Theological Review |volume= 82 |issue= 3 |date= July 1989 |jstor= 1510077 |pages= 245–68 |doi= 10.1017/S0017816000016199 |s2cid= 162848021 }}</ref> These primary sources show that some women in [[Achaemenid Empire|Persia]], [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], [[Achaemenid Arabia|Arabia]], and [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|ancient Israel]] veiled their faces long before Islam. In the case of Tamar, the Biblical text, 'When Judah saw her, he thought her to be a harlot; because she had covered her face' indicates customary, if not sacred, use of the face veil to accentuate rather than disguise sexuality.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Lipinski |first= Edward |title= Cult Prostitution in Ancient Israel? |journal= Biblical Archaeology Review |volume= 40 |issue= 1 |date= January–February 2014 |publisher= Biblical Archaeology Society |url= http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=40&Issue=1&ArticleID=10 |access-date= 6 April 2014 |url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140705123647/http://members.bib-arch.org/publication.asp?PubID=BSBA&Volume=40&Issue=1&ArticleID=10 |archive-date= 5 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+38%3A15&version=KJV|title=Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 38:15 - King James Version|website=Bible Gateway|access-date=2019-06-15|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727064731/https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+38%3A15&version=KJV|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Coptic Orthodox Christian]] women historically have worn dark-coloured full garments, along with a [[Christian head covering]] that included a veil to wear in public.<ref name="Budge1902"/> Women who are unmarried wear white-coloured veils and married women wear black-coloured veils.<ref name="Budge1902">{{cite book |last1=Budge |first1=Sir Ernest Alfred Wallis |title=The Nile: Notes for Travellers in Egypt |date=1902 |publisher=Thos. Cook & Son |page=207 |language=English}}</ref>