It is all about blending, perfect blending. The snow-whitey Thowbs go with the bright sunny days, the ornamented Sitaras and the rugged terrain and are a perfect match, and the black Chadors cannot go better with anything but the starry dark nights. And then for another dimension of that perfect blending, we keep them mostly of one piece, and if more, than a layer over a layer... no thirds... no sewing lines... no boundaries... Nothing to disturb the blend purity. This is how we dress up, it is this simple! Blend into our culture and sands from east to west and join the club, speak Arabic.
Marhaban
Thobe / Thawb / Towb
In the eyes of Dmitry Saparov
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. More from the resource and Wikipedia.
Wazar/ Ezar
In the eyes of David Steele
The Wazar is commonly woven from cotton, white in color but pastel colors are also in use. In the south of the country, other fibers are used and, because of weather conditions, they tend to use a thicker and darker Wazar than is used in central and northern Oman. The Wazar is wrapped, not tied, around the waist and its length usually falls to the mid-calf or longer.
Palestinian Thowb
In the eyes of Rafel Bin-Are
This female garment in Levant is dyed black and red or silver, which distinguish it from totally black Abaya in Gulf. Learn more from here.
Shibaqa / Shibaga
In the eyes of Yuliya Zhukova
This thick to huge belt is mostly made of wool but nowadays it can be seen of rubber. It is a handy tool for Iraqi men and would be worn on top of any upper or full length piece, it usually comes in one or two contrasting colors and/or patterns. Learn more from here.
Shoqta/ Shokta
In the eyes of Yulya Zhukova
Kurdish girls are still wearing those distinctively decorated long pieces that covers their entire bodies. Usually it comes in two pieces, the upper piece can be worn with golden belt or golden necklace. More from the resource.
Kandora
In the eyes of Jasmin Merdan
the UAE name for Dishdasha. It is collarless and features a long tassel called Tharboosh. Learn more from here.
Chador / Shador
In the eyes of Robert Paul Van Beets and Chris Pehlivan
A Chador is a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is open down the front. This cloth is tossed over the woman's or girl's head, but then she holds it closed in the front. The Chador has no hand openings, or any buttons, clasps, etc., but rather it is held closed by her hands or tucked under the wearer's arms. Learn more from Wikipedia.
Shal
In the eyes of Konstantinos Michail
This headscarf, differently from the Shumagh, is wrapped around the head just like a turban. It comes in many different colours. Learn more from the resource.
Djellaba / Jellaba / Jilbab
In the eyes of Robert Paul Van Beets
Many Moroccans still wear the djellaba, a wide and comfortable hooded tunic with long sleeves which can be considered as a part of the national heritage. They are more colourful for women, while they are made in earth tones for men. More from the resource and Wikipedia.
Gallabya
In the eyes of Qi Feng
Much like the djellaba, the Gallabya is also a long tunic without buttons or a proper neck. It comes in colourful and embroidered variations for women and in neutral colours for men.Learn more from the resource.
