What do arabic women wear

It has been, for millennia, and remains a complex reality where local traditions and Western culture mix. If white robes and black veils are the only things that pop in your mind when you think about Middle Eastern clothes, then you should read on. While the latter has deeply influenced Arab countries, it is still possible to spot some traditional garments.

Age and location make a big difference when it comes to clothing in the Middle East. On the one hand, younger people tend to wear Western clothes and use their traditional outfits only for special occasions such as weddings, religious celebrations, or pilgrims.

At the same time, the older generations are far more often seen wearing traditional Arabic garments. On the other hand, people living in cities are more attentive to the latest fashion trends and popular brands. In smaller towns and rural contexts, men and women still prefer traditional attires because of their comfort and the protection they offer from the sun, the wind, and the sand. While designer clothes from the West are trendy among the middle and upper class, classic garments and conservative attires are still easily found in traditional neighbourhoods.

While this could be true for specific countries in the Levant and North Africa, the criteria change for Gulf countries where all women and men wear similar clothes. Arabic clothing stereotypes. Before detailing which clothes belong to which country, I must clarify some general misconceptions related to Middle Eastern clothing, as well as introducing the basic terms of Arabic clothing fashion. This statement is wrong for two main reasons:. The term hijab is a word used to describe the headscarf worn by many Muslim women.

Hijab is also a general term describing modest attires that include a head covering. The term veil includes an impressive variety of headgears that come in many shapes, lengths, and fabrics.

There are different kinds of veils, and women wear them as a religious or cultural sign of belonging to a particular society and consider them an important fashion statement. Hijabs have different styles and colours, and women wearing a hijab muhajjabat in Arabic are always up to date with the latest trends, just as Western women know whether an item is out-dated or not. It soon became trendy, especially in the trendsetter country of the region, the UAE.

However, by it was already considered out of fashion. Here are the four main types of hijabs:. Shayla : a one-piece veil, derived from a long scarf wrapped around the head and pinned under the chin, as it gently rests on the shoulders. It is usually worn on top of a matching colour cap, which helps keep the hijab in place. It is the most common kind of hijab, particularly in the Gulf countries except for Saudi Arabia. Al-Amira : a two-piece veil. It is straightforward to wear, and it is comprised of a head cap and a tubular scarf worn on top of it.

The main difference between Shayla and Al-Amira is the shape of the scarf rectangular for the Shayla, tubular for the al-amira and the head cap hidden or only slightly visible in the former, while a significant portion is left exposed in the latter. It can be seen in the Middle East, even though it is prevalent in the southeast Asian Muslim community.

Niqab : a face veil that is usually worn with a headscarf and tied behind the head. It leaves a gap for the eyes only, even though some women add an eye veil that allows them to see without revealing their eyes. It is not unusual to see a niqab in North Africa or the Levant, but it is most commonly used in Saudi Arabia. Khimar : a long veil that covers the head and the chest till the waist.

The face is left uncovered. It is not as popular as the previous head covering types; still, some women wear it in their daily lives. Burqa is an Arabic clothing item characteristic of Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Taliban regime imposed burqa, and it is not paramount in the Arab world, even though some countries such as Yemen have their version of the burqa or burghaa , which differs from the Afghan one. It is not to be confused with the niqab, more commonly used in the Middle East.

The differences:. Only men in the Gulf wear a headscarf and white robe daily. The headscarf ghuthrain the Gulf, keffiah in the Levant is tied on the head with a black piece of cord aghal. It is used with a skullcap called thagiyah, which keeps the hair in place. Changes in Arabic clothing perception. Most of the time, we see these opinions are reflected in the way Arabs dress. For example, it is indeed true that many women in Lebanon do not cover their hair.

On the contrary, the majority of women in Saudi Arabia wear a niqab. Arabic clothing by country. When it comes to Arabic clothing, four main areas define fashion trends:.

North African countries. Walking through the streets of Rabat or Tunis, we see many men and women donning western clothes. But, in most places, it is a matter of custom and women choose whether to wear a hijab. Most often, Muslim women decide whether to wear a hijab in their teenage years.

When did the practice of wearing a hijab start? Muhammad asked his wives to wear hijabs to set them apart from others. It was meant to indicate their special status. Muslim women choose to wear a hijab for many reasons. Some see it as a sign of passage into adulthood. Others wear the hijab to identify themselves as Muslim and show cultural pride. Many also wear the covering to value family traditions or local customs. Of course, many Muslim women choose not to wear a hijab.

Others choose to only wear it for religious occasions. The hijab has often been misunderstood by people outside of Islam. Some people think that Muslim women are forced to wear it. However, as more people learn about the hijab and about Islam, acceptance and understanding continue to spread.

Today, many women in the public eye wear a hijab. Where else have you seen women wearing hijabs? What other examples of cultural clothing can you think of? Excellent way to describe it, Savannah! And, yes--women who wear hijab should be proud! Thanks for stopping by! Hey, Muslim girl! You should hop on over there and add it! We are undergoing some spring clearing site maintenance and need to temporarily disable the commenting feature. Thanks for your patience.

Drag a word to its definition. You have answered 0 of 3 questions correctly and your score is:. Want to add a little wonder to your website? Shumagh : white or in the Jordanian red and white pattern. Very simply styled and left loose over the shoulders. Kandora : the UAE name for dishdasha. It is collarless and features a long tassel called tarboosh. Emirati women in Dubai airport. Photo credit: Nicolas Mirguet.

In recent years it has become fashionable for men in the UAE to wear an American style baseball hat or trucker hat with their white or brown Kandora. The southern sultanate really cares about the integrity of its national heritage, clothing included.

Western-style clothes have no space in the country, with the exception of tourists of course. Abaya : the black abaya with some colourful details is most common in the capital Masqat. Dishdasha : just like men, also Omani women of rural areas wear this traditional tunic in a great variety of colours and with rich details. They match it with loose-fitting sirwals.

Kumma : there is no space for the shumagh in Oman, substituted by the traditional cap which comes in different colours and has holes to keep the head cool. Muzzar : a turban which is wrapped around the head, with or without kumma underneath it.

Dishdasha : it can be white or in earth tones such as brown or grey. It sports a short tassel, too. Omani family in Nizwa. Photo credit: ophiuchus1. This country has preserved an extraordinary heritage in terms of history and traditions. Clothes are just one expression of how much Yemenis still follow their customs and their outfits show the region they come from: the mountainous North, the coastal area of the West and South or a tribal area.

Still, it is not uncommon for men to wear Western clothes in the cities. Nowadays, only elderly women wear this colourful piece of cloth which covers them from head to toes.

Shawl : this headscarf, differently from the shumagh, is wrapped around the head just like a turban. It comes in many different colours. The more valuable ones have been used by the same family for generations. There are also cheaper daggers manufactured in China. Yemeni woman wearing a Sitara. Photo credit:fiat. Photo credit: fiat.

The style of Sudan is unique and easily recognisable. Sudanese wear many of the garments which are widespread in the rest of the Middle East, but in a brighter and more colourful version which reminds us of other African countries. While Western clothes are indeed used especially in the cities, some still prefer the loose-fitting traditional items.

Thobe : differently from the Gulf, this big piece of cloth is an item for women. It is wrapped all around the body and the head. It comes in varying patterns and colours, according to the occasion. It is generally donned by older women. Alternatives are: abayas, long skirts, and dresses. Hijab : being a Muslim country, all Sudanese women wear a headscarf, sometimes underneath the thobe.

Jalabiya : just like the Egyptians, also Sudanese men like being comfortable wearing this loose-fitting tunic. They usually add a decorated scarf called an immah. Taqiya : the skullcap is worn without the keffieh to keep the head cool, again just like Egypt. Clothing in the Middle East is an important business, perhaps even more than in the West.

Clothes reveal so many things about not only the personality, but also the region and social class of the wearer. Moreover, the choice of a certain item of clothing assumes a fundamental moral value. For example, some Arabs more or less consciously think that women without hijabs are more open minded, but also have fewer morals, while women with hijab are somewhat more religious and thus respectable.

Thus, clothes in the Middle East are a fashion statement, just like they are in the West, but clothing has a stronger social and moral dimension, too. As we have seen there is an infinite variety of Arab garments and what we have listed represents only a minimum part of it. Clothes remain a fundamental element in the cultural identity of each country in the Middle East. Some countries have followed Western footsteps in terms of fashion, namely the Levant and North Africa, while others are still holding on tight to their traditional attires like Saudi Arabia or Yemen.

While clothing might seem a superficial matter in Europe and America, this really is not the case in the Middle East. Clothes can give us precious info about the person in front of us while we are doing business or making friends and it is a useful key to understand the spirit of each Arab nation. IstiZada regularly creates resources that are free to the public with the goal of building bridges with the Arab world through education.

Years ago we saw that there was a lack of good information available online about various aspects of Arab culture in English. All images in this post and the quiz are from Flickr and licensed under Creative Commons. Contact Us Facebook. Get Our Newsletter. Updated on: October 17, October 17, Arab Clothing: The Ultimate Guide The Middle East is a variegated and colourful universe when it comes to clothes and attires for both men and women. I was told that to be a Muslim was to be a terrorist and that to be outwardly Muslim was to endorse violence and oppression … I understood that I would be unwelcome as long as I wore symbols of my heritage and chose to, in however modern a way, embrace my ancestors.

Muslim African-American women in the U. They also want to dispel the assumption that all African-Americans are Christians, and that only people with origins abroad can be Muslim.

In fact, 13 percent of adult Muslims in the U. S are black Americans born in the country. For many other women, the headscarf has become a means of resistance to standards of feminine beauty that demand more exposure. Proponents of this view argue that removing clothing for the benefit of the male gaze does not equal liberation.