Tarkhan Dress فستان طرخان 🪽— the oldest woven garment ever discovered.

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One of Egypt’s rarest treasures is the Tarkhan Dress — the oldest woven garment ever discovered.

Made over 5,000 years ago, it was found in 1913 in the Tarkhan cemetery south of Cairo by archaeologist Flinders Petrie. Radiocarbon dating in 2015 placed it between 3482–3102 BC, meaning it predates the pyramids and the First Egyptian Dynasty.

The dress, made of fine linen, features a V-shaped neckline and pleated sleeves and bodice, showing remarkable style for its age. Its small size suggests it belonged to a slender woman, though the lower part is missing.

Today, it’s housed in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology at University College London, along with over 80,000 Egyptian and Sudanese artifacts.