Kohl is a generic term for a cosmetic eyeliner made using naturally-sourced materials, a pulverized powder which darkens the edges of the eyelids. A cosmetic with a long and captivating history, kohl has been widely used by men, women and children throughout the ages across swathes of Africa and Asia, altering the appearance for a range of purposes and effects. In this episode, we will trace the history of kohl to its known origin and will unveil the depth and multi-dimensionality of this near-universal make-up.

Zahra Hankir in her latest book Eyeliner: A Cultural History explores the intersections of history, culture, and society over the ubiquitous cosmetic: eyeliner. She traces the history of the naturally-sourced eyeliner commonly known as kohl, over millennia. She traverses space, time, and cultures to delve into the deeply human importance of a makeup tool which symbolizes power, religiosity, and commitment to moral codes.

What we cover in this episode

· What’s Kohl?

· What do we know about the historic roots of kohl?

· What has inspired Muslim communities to apply kohl?

· What were the various ingredients of sormeh in Iran?

· What role does kajal play in Indian traditional dancing?

Conversation key insight

· I hope people would realise that when they are wearing eyeliner, it carries much more than just an aesthetic, it carries history.

· When you start seeing eyeliner you can’t unsee it, you can see it pretty much everywhere.

· Eyeliner lent Nefertiti a very regal look and helped her to channel her power.

· Muslim communities around the world have been wearing eyeliner not just as a form of protection of their eyes but also as a channel to practice their religiosity, because it’s sunnah, because it’s the way of prophet.

· Juniper tree bark and Farsetia plants are widely-used for kohl-making among bedouin communities living across Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon.

· In Iran, nuts are being used to produce sormeh: walnut, hazelnut, pistachio. Also, precious stones including pearls, emeralds, rubies, diamonds, gold, and silver were crushed, and the powder was used to form the most prestigious and expensive sormeh, this substance was called the sormeh of Seven Jewels.

· Kajal is worn in a very distinct way in in performance art in India. In kathakali dance, eyes are decorated and adorned very heavily and can indicate the qualities of the characters. Eyeliner plays a big role in dances and performances in making the eyes very distinctly visible from afar, so people in the audience can be drawn into the eyes.

Terms

· Ḥalāl (Arabic): Permissible according to the Islamic laws

· Eid (Arabic): A religious holiday

A passage from the book

Next came my journey from Cairo by the route of the Sa'id, with the object of crossing the noble Hijaz. I stayed on the night following my departure at the convent which Sahib Taj al-Din ibn Hanna' built at Dair al-Tin.

It is an enormous convent built by him for the sake of certain possessions of great pride and illustrious relics that he deposited in it, namely, a fragment of the wooden basin of the Prophet, the pencil with which he used to apply kohl to his eyes, the dirafsh, that is to say, the awl, which he used for sewing his sandals, and the Qur'an of the Commander of the Faithful 'Ali b. Abi Talib, written in his own hand.

[Travels of Ibn Battuta translated by Hamilton Gibbs, Hakluyt Society]

We acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land from where this podcast is produced.