Osfour's Clothing

Alright, now for my first contribution to the S. mystery! The word Osfour, in Arabic means bird. While not referring to a specific type, it is often used to describe little birds.

Osfour is also the name given to the character in Chapter 6 of SOT that guides S. through what seems to be an old middle eastern city. Osfour's appearance is described as follows:

"The stoop-shouldered man in the trees introduces himself as Osfour. Tobacco smoke wreathes his haggard face and the black checheya he wears low on his forehead. He wears a matching kaftan and trousers of loose-fitting grey linen, and flat, thin sandals on his feet."
SOT, Pages 222-223

Let's start with "black checheya" or chechia as it's sometimes spelled. The Chechia is the Tunisian and Libyan Arabic word used to describe a specific type of Fez, a traditional felt hat worn by inhabitants of the middle east. The Tunisian version is usually red and the Libyan version is usually black. Both do not have a tassel. So, the specification of a "black checheya" would indicate that Osfour and S. are at the very least somewhere in North Africa if not in Libya.


Next we need to understand what a kaftan is. As per Wikipedia:

"A kaftan or caftan ( قفطان qaftân) is a front-buttoned coat or overdress, usually reaching to the ankles, with long sleeves. It can be made of wool,cashmere, silk, or cotton, and may be worn with a sash. The caftan is of ancient Mesopotamian origin."

The kaftan comes in various colors with grey being a .winter color. The kaftan is also a traditional garment worn by both men and women in North Africa. Here is a picture of a man wearing a chechia and kaftan with trousers astride a horse as part of a Libyan festival. (Original Link)

I chose an image of a Libyan kaftan because we started with the very specific Libyan black chechia. I hope this leads somewhere!

Right after Osfour gives S. the clothes, he " pauses, waits for S. to start buttoning up". While chapter six could be describing the traditional clothes of most of North Africa, this appears to be confirmation that the type of kaftan is a buttoned down one and that we're on the right track.