purdah (n.)

1800, in India, "a curtain serving to screen women from the sight of men or strangers," from Urdu and Persian pardah "veil, curtain," from Old Persian pari "around, over" (from PIE root *per- (1) "forward," hence "in front of, against, around") + da- "to place" (from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put").