Overview
A khat (or afnet) is a soft headcloth that covers the crown and hair and is tied so the excess hangs down the back in a bag or tail, without the stiff striped lappets of the nemes. Undecorated and close-fitting, it framed the face plainly.
How it is worn
It is drawn over the head and bound with a band or fillet, the loose cloth gathered behind, worn by kings and queens in less formal or funerary contexts and by certain deities. It could be topped by a crown or the uraeus cobra at the brow.
History
The khat is attested from the Middle Kingdom and used throughout later Egyptian art as a quieter alternative to the nemes, often in funerary and religious scenes. Its plain, enveloping shape appears on royal statuary and coffins for the rest of the pharaonic age.