Arab Clothing and Fashion

Arab Clothing and Fashion Compiled by Tayseer al Galal 2013 The dress found in Arab countries is generally modest. Although the climate is hot for much of the year, it is frowned upon for either men or women to dress immodestly. WOMEN The majority of Arab women dress conservavely. In the Arab countries you will find a variety of tradions. They vary considerably from the Levant to the Gulf to countries in north and sub‐saharan Africa. Many women dress in clothes that do not cover their faces or hair, while others cover them and it all depend on the country they reside, their personal choice, or social level. Woman wearing Kimar A very conservave woman might wear a long dress, oen black, called "Abayah" that covers the body from the shoulders down to feet. Under this cover she could be wearing a tradional Arab dress, "thawb", or she could be wearing the latest Woman wearing Kimar style designer clothes. In addion to the Abayah, a very conservave woman would wear a face and head cover. Some women would wear the Abayah without the head and face cover, while others might wear a scarf‐like cover called "Hijab" to cover the hair only and not the face. Even the style of the hijab varies considerably. It is common in Egypt for the hijab to come down to the elbows while women in some other countries will wear a scarf that is shorter. Women in some African countries may wear an ethnic head covering and modest ouit that is unique to their tribe. As well, many women wear the latest style clothes without an Abayah or Hejab depending on Woman Wearing Niqab the country they reside in. In some countries, like Saudi Arabia, you never find women in the streets without the Abayah whereas in other countries such as Jordan, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt you find a mixture of women either wearing the Hejab, Abayah, or casual jeans, shirts, long and short skirts. Woman Wearing Hijab MEN The same goes for men and depending on the country they reside in or whether they live in a rural or urban area you will find men wearing the western style clothes or they might wear the tradional “Dishdasha”, “Thawb” and “Kaffiyeh” with “Igal” (the rope that sits atop the man’s headdress). A thawb, thobe, or dishdasha is an ankle‐length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe. It is typically worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula and some surrounding countries. It is normally made of coon, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates. The style of the thawb/ thobe varies slightly among the various regions within the Gulf. The sleeves and the collar can be sffened to give a more formal appearance. The kaffiyeh (also yashmag) is a tradional headdress of Arab men especially in the gulf region. It is made of a square of cloth (or scarf) usually coon (also mix of coon and wool for winter), folded and wrapped in various styles around the head. It is commonly found in arid climate areas to provide protecon from direct sun exposure. In other Arab countries, men may wear western clothing or a tradional ouit with or without a cap‐like head. The snug‐fing kuffi is usually made of coon while the fez or tarbouche is made of felt and somemes has a tassel. A variaon of the tarbouche is made of sff coon and may be in bright colors depending on tribal tradion or cultural norms. Some men especially in desert climates may wear a white coon scarf wrapped loosely around the head and neck; it is adjusted as needed to somemes cover the face to protect from sand and wind. It is important to note that the Middle East is made up of several countries and not of them speak Arabic. There are different tradions found in Turkey and Iran as well as other countries that have large Muslim populaons such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Indonesia. The informaon presented here addresses only Arab countries. .

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