CLOTHING CULTURE AND ICONOGRAPHIC SEMANTICS: THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE PROPHETS MUSA (MOSES) AND KHIDR

Abstract

This paper examines clothing in the visual arts as an iconographic and semiotic system through the representations of the Prophets Musa (Moses, peace be upon him) and Khidr (peace be upon him). The study approaches dress not merely as an aesthetic component but as a medium of social identity, religious symbolism, and semiotic communication. Drawing on an iconographic methodology, it traces the transformation of Moses’s attire across the successive stages of his life, from his upbringing in the royal court to his prophetic mission. The paper further offers a comparative analysis of Eastern and Western artistic traditions, demonstrating how clothing operates as a visual marker of identity and as a symbolic carrier of spiritual, cultural, and religious meaning. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the role of costume in the interpretation of sacred figures within the history of visual art.