What do arabian men wear

These are long cloaks in white, brown or black and are trimmed in gold. One of the main differences between Saudi men's dress and that of Westerners is the unique headdress that the men wear. A Saudi man's headdress consists of:. While the long thobe and the head covering seem to be a lot of clothing, they're perfect for the hot, dry climate that Saudis live in. Because they experience sandstorms, these protective garments help keep Saudis from suffering damage due to the weather.

In addition, the strict religious customs demand that Saudis dress with modesty. Saudi Arabia is a Muslim country and the religion of Islam dictates that its followers adhere to a modest mode of dress. The garments that the native people wear haven't changed much in hundreds of years. It is the best attire for their climate, and adapts to their religious beliefs as well. While visiting men in Saudi Arabia don't have the same strict dress codes that women are expected to abide by although even foreign women are permitted some leeway , it's best to err on the side of caution to avoid offending your host country.

Western men will stand out if they choose not to wear the thobe. If you decide to not wear the native dress, it's wise to show respect by wearing modest clothing such as long slacks and shirts that completely cover the top half of the body.

Gold is usually viewed as more feminine than masculine, so wearing it is frowned upon for men. In the UAE it is mostly white with a black agal. This varies for Saudi Arabia, Palestine, Bahrain, etc. Other popular choices for headdresses, for example in Oman, are the traditional spherical caps and cotton turbans.

The Middle East may have changed a lot in terms of technology and development. But when it comes to fashion, tradition and culture dominate the scene. For this reason Arabs take pride in maintaining their historical dress code. A common question foreigners moving to or working in the Middle East ask at cultural awareness training sessions is, "Why do the men wear the headdress?

So let's discover more about the reasons behind it. The traditional Arab headdress or headgear, worn by men of all ages at all levels of society, is most common in The Gulf region, i. The rectangular cloth, which is made from cotton, is commonly referred to as the ghutra or kufiyah. The cord that holds it in place to stop it blowing about in the wind or falling off, is known as the i qal.

The light colour of the head gear helps to reflect the heat of the sun and cool the body, while the cover it gives to the neck and face helps to prevent sunburn. During cooler temperatures, heavier headdresses can fulfil the reverse function and keep the body warm. As such, the prevailing desert climates of the Middle East, this piece of clothing is essential to protecting people from the sun, sandstorms and the dramatic drop in temperature overnight.

While in the western part of the capital Amman, Western-style clothes are widespread; it is common to see more traditional and conservative attires in the area of downtown and eastern Amman, as well as in smaller towns. Shemagh mhadab : this red checked keffieh is widespread in the Gulf, too, especially in Saudi Arabia. It is the colour that is typical of Jordan as it stands for the values of the Bedouin culture: the bigger the tassels, the higher the importance of the wearer.

Like Jordan the beauty of traditional Palestinian clothes has almost been forgotten, as most people in cities such as Ramallah or Jerusalem wear jeans and t-shirts if they are men; jilbabs, Western clothes and hijab if women. However, there is one headgear which has come to represent this country, especially thanks to Yasser Arafat:.

Black and white keffieh : this colour pattern has always been unique to Palestine and it even became a fashionable item in America and Europe in the early s. Nowadays it still represents support for the Palestinian cause. Among all the Arab countries Lebanon probably deserves the title of most fashionable and stylish. A large number of women decide not to wear a hijab, especially in the capital Beirut.

Try your luck and see if you can spot some Lebanese still wearing this traditional garment:. Sherwal : these baggy and comfortable trousers are also commonly seen in the Gulf under a dishdasha.

They are one of the few traditional garments still worn by some Lebanese countrymen. They are used on their own, no thobe needed. They have also been recently reinvented in a more fashionable female version. Much like the other Levantinian countries, Syria has seen more and more men and women opting for Western-style clothes. The majority of women wear a hijab and some sport a jilbab or even an abaya and niqab, while some older men can still be seen with keffieh and long tunics.

Traditional clothes were once famous for the quality of their fabrics and the beauty of their embroideries, often in black and red. However, they have basically disappeared from urban areas and are worn in the countryside only on special occasions. Thob : differently from the Gulf, this is considered a female garment in Syria. It is dyed black and red and often accompanied by a belt of the same color. Sirwal : just like Lebanon, these trousers cannot miss from any traditional attire.

They are long, loose and come in black or neutral colours. Jordanian and Syrian thobes share the same colours: red and black. A group of Syrian men wearing their traditional clothes. When it comes to the Gulf it is pretty easy to spot its citizens as, differently from most other countries in the region, they have kept wearing their traditional clothes. All men in the Gulf usually use a long, white tunic called dishdasha which helps keep the body cool in the heat of the region.

This tunic is usually worn with short sherwal trousers and a ghuthra , alight, white headscarf or the keffieh , in the colder season. Women wear wide, long robes called abayas , usually in association with a shayla hijab that shows some hair and a niqab. Even if the thobes for the men and the abaya for the women may seem the same everywhere in the region, there are actually some small details that allow us to understand whether we are talking to a Qatari, a Kuwaiti or an Omani.

Some have commented that the loose-fitting nature of the abaya and the dishdasha make it easier to put on excess weight without it noticing it. As fast food in the region has increased, obesity has become a major issue leading some to seek out procedures like gastric sleeve surgery to address the issue.

Though no one likely goes from healthy to obese without noticing it, it is likely that loose-fitting clothing makes the consequences of gaining a few extra kilos less visible. Saudi men and women have kept wearing their traditional items of clothing and adherence to the moderate Islamic dress for both sexes is an absolute must. Most people wear the following:. Niqab : if niqabs are sometimes seen in the Levant and North Africa, they become predominant in Saudi Arabia, where only some cities like Jeddah and Dammam accept women walking around without the face veil.

Gloves : it is not uncommon to see women wearing black gloves covering their hands and arms. Shumagh : it is the Saudi name for the typical Jordanian keffiah which is worn by many Saudis in winter to replace the ghuthra. Dishdasha : the typical Saudi thobe resembles a long shirt. It has a two buttoned neck, it is tight and made to have cufflinks kabak.

Saudi women walking in a shopping centre in Riyadh. Photo credit: Tribes of the World. Shumagh : the Qatari shumagh is typically white and has an African taste to it with two tails on the back, stiff in the front part, it resembles a cobra snake. The 1. Here are the typical Kuwaiti garments:. It is usually used for weddings, traditional dances and so on. Shumagh : the Kuwaiti shumagh is predominantly white and characterised by a scale shape when observed from the front.

Dishdasha : the Kuwaiti dishdasha has a distinguishing one button collar Kuwaiti women waiting to vote in Kuwaitis in a political rally in Photo credit: Kuwaitelections Photo credit: Kuwaitelections Bahrain might not be as big as Saudi Arabia, but it has certainly nothing left to be desired when it comes to history, biodiversity and, of course, clothes.

Their traditional clothes are in line with the other Gulf countries but have some special features which differentiate them. Abaya : lookout for red abayas with golden embroideries because they are only worn on special occasions. Red : is the national colour and it is not unusual to see women wearing accessories of this colour on important days. Shumagh : white is the most widespread colour. Worn loose, it lets the head move freely.

Dishdasha : also the Bahraini thobe is very comfortable, loose and witha shirt collar. The UAE has a complex fashion panorama. While Dubai is the most progressive and up-to-date among the emirates, the other areas are more conservative in terms of clothing. Fashion here has evolved incredibly fast and if in the past sirwal and burqa were a must for women, they have been substituted by the abaya and even the white thobe now comes in a variety of colours.