The ''khat'' was a head cloth worn in

Ancient Egypt Ancient Egypt () was a cradle of civilization concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in Northeast Africa. It emerged from prehistoric Egypt around 3150BC (according to conventional Egyptian chronology), when Upper and Lower E ...

. It was similar to the ''

nemes Nemes () consisted of pieces of striped head cloth worn by pharaohs in ancient Egypt. It covered the whole crown and behind of the head and nape of the neck (sometimes also extending a little way down the back) and had lappets, two large flaps ...

'' headdress, but did not have pleats or stripes like the ''nemes'' did.Brooklyn Museum online Ancient Egypt glossary.
Accessed March 29, 2006. The ''khat'' was worn by laborers while doing tasks such as

winnowing Winnowing is a process by which chaff is separated from grain. It can also be used to remove pests from stored grain. Winnowing usually follows threshing in grain preparation. In its simplest form, it involves throwing the mixture into the ...

grain. It was also worn by the king and by certain deities. It is strongly connected to the goddesses

Isis Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...

Nephthys Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian () was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis ...

, and Nut.

History

The ''khat'' dates back to at least the reign of the First Dynasty king Den, as he is shown wearing the ''khat'' and brandishing a mace on an

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

label found at Abydos. Extant examples were found in KV54, where materials from the embalming of

Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...

were cached, and others that belonged to Tutankhamun were found within his tomb.Griffith Institute: Carter Archives - 256-4pbi.
Accessed January 8, 2012. Additionally, the king's mummy wore a ''khat'' within the layers of wrappings; it was padded to the appropriate shape, and fitted with a gold browband and uraeus and vulture emblems.

Construction

The ''khat'' was made from a rectangular or semicircular piece of

linen Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...

, likely with ties at the front. It could be secured with a headband and gathered and tied at the back of the head. In depictions of the ''khat'', it could be white, red, or yellow, and an extant example that was dyed blue has been found.

Gallery

Pharaoh with khat.svg, Modern depiction of a king wearing a ''khat'' Hery-Maat.svg, Hery-Maat, a god depicted wearing a ''khat'' in the tomb of Khaemwaset ( QV44) and the tomb of Tyti (QV52) The Buhen temple (Horus and a pharaoh) (33944895871).jpg, alt=Relief of Thutmose II wearing a white khat, Relief of Thutmose II depicting him wearing a white ''khat'' Ancient Egypt Limestone Bas-Relief (28307642092).jpg, alt=Relief of Thutmose III wearing a white khat, Relief of

Thutmose III Thutmose III (variously also spelt Tuthmosis or Thothmes), sometimes called Thutmose the Great, (1479–1425 BC) was the fifth pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt. He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors, military commanders, and milita ...

depicting him wearing a white ''khat'' Replikat der Südwand der Grabkammer Tutanchamuns (KV62) (repairandskew) (cropped).jpg, Reconstructed scene from the

tomb of Tutankhamun The tomb of Tutankhamun (reigned ), a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt, is located in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb, also known by its List of burials in the Valley of the Kings, tomb number KV ...

(KV62) depicting Tutankhamun wearing a white ''khat'' Relief of Seti I.jpg, alt=Relief of Seti I wearing a white khat, Relief of

Seti I Menmaatre Seti I (or Sethos I in Greek language, Greek) was the second pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt during the New Kingdom of Egypt, New Kingdom period, ruling or 1290 BC to 1279 BC. He was the son of Ramesses I and Sitre, and th ...

depicting him wearing a white ''khat'' Relief of Seti I with Ra.jpg, alt=Relief of Seti I wearing a yellow khat, Relief of Seti I depicting him wearing a yellow ''khat'' Ancient Egyptian Winnowers.jpg, Winnowers wearing ''khat''s from the

tomb of Nakht The Thebes, Egypt, Theban Tomb TT52 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of Nakht, an ancient Egyptian official who held the position of a Scribe ...

(TT52) Painting of Isis.jpg, alt=A relief of Isis wearing a white khat with a red headband, Painting of a relief of

, depicting her wearing a white ''khat'' with a red headband Blue Kerchief from Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache MET 09.184.217.jpg, alt=Blue khat, Blue ''khat'' from Tutankhamun's embalming cache Kerchief from Tutankhamun's Embalming Cache MET DP226387.jpg, alt=White khat, White ''khat'' from Tutankhamun's embalming cache

Sources

*Toby A. H. Wilkinson, ''Early Dynastic Egypt'', Routledge 1999

References

Egyptian artefact types {{AncientEgypt-stub