How to Make an Egyptian Headdress for a Man

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Things You'll Need

  • Striped fabric (1 yard) or striped pillowcase

  • 1/2-inch wide decorative cord or dark ribbon

  • Stiff construction paper

  • Small twisted wire or ornamental metallic decorations (optional)

  • Scissors

  • Tape or glue

  • Hot glue gun (optional)

  • Thin flexible wire (optional)

  • Craft paints

A pharaoh-style headdress is a key part of an Egyptian costume.

Most ancient Egyptians wore some sort of headdress; the style and quality of the headdress reflected the social status of the wearer. There are several simple versions of a headdress that you can make at home as part of a man's Egyptian costume. All you need is a length of striped fabric, a striped towel or a striped pillow sham -- fabric with a gold strip or metallic threads running through it will look more authentic -- plus construction paper, decorative cord or dark ribbon, and metallic paint.

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Step 1

Center a length of cloth or pillowcase on your head so that even lengths of the fabric hang down on both sides.

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Step 2

Tie a cord or 1/2-inch wide piece of ribbon around the draped fabric, encircling your head. This will hold the headdress in place.

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Step 3

Mark the center of the cord or ribbon, and remove it from your head.

Step 4

Decorate the ribbon or cord with a cutout construction paper symbol shaped like an Egyptian cobra. Center the design on the forehead so that the cobra appears to be standing straight up by placing it over the mark you made earlier. Decorate the paper design as desired using markers or paints. Attach it to the cord with hot glue, regular glue or tape. Allow the paint to dry before wearing.

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Step 5

Decorate the headdress with metallic ornaments for a more regal look. In lieu of, or in addition to, your construction paper cobra, you can use twisted wire shapes or ornamental metallic pieces about 2-inches to 3-inches long to embellish the headress. Attach one or two metal pieces to the front of the headdress using thin wire and hot glue.

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