There is a Jordanian TV documentary from the 80's that focuses on the shibriya and its relevance to Jordanian tradition. Its in Arabic and very informative.
One of the things mentioned in the documentary is the use of a material called "tanak" in earlier shibriyas. Tanak was a cheaper mixture of iron and some other materials that served as dress for the average shibriya and silver was supposed to be the finest material used.
Its interesting though that the shibriya is not restricted to only the Levant, but even as far as Nejd it is used, in surprisingly near identical craftmanship.
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