What is the metal piece that covers an Arab woman's nose and lips and crosses her forehead.?

Question

I saw a woman in Harrod's in London with the brass piece going from temple to temple, down her nose and in the shape of lips over her mouth. A man with us thought she wore this because she was considered too beautiful to be seen in public. I thought perhaps this is some kind of support for the veil and its purpose is to keep her black veil off her nose and mouth.I think she had the veil off to look at make-up at the store. Does anyone know about this? The other women she was with did not have their faces covered, although in other parts of the store, some of the women were entirely covered except for an open rectangle for the eyes.

Answer 1

This veil is called a 'batoola'. Typically this is worn by older women. You don't see many younger women wearing them nowadays. Perhaps you would in the desert with traditional bedouin people.

Answer 2

I dunno but it's bullsh*t, there is nothing in the koran that says women have to wear this stuff.

Answer 3

I don't know...I've never witnessed this.

Very few American Muslim women do the "extreme" religious dress. The hijab tends to be the most they do.

Answer 4

It's a type of veil; however, I am not familiar as to what era and or country.  What I do know is that some women have taken the gold coins they have receieved in way of a dowry and have fashioned them into a veil; a practice that is not common these days; whereas they mostly wear cloth veils these days. From watching a few Arab soaps I have seen women wearing veils that looked like nets.