page_title: Arabic culture
section_title: Men
hierarchical_section_title: Arabic culture / Dress / Men
caption_attribution_description: العربية: العريس.English: A wedding march along Jissr A-Zarka's main street. The groom is wearing a crown of dollars as a symbol of might and richess; he and his horse are adorned and are being led by an open minitruck packed with merrying crowd.עברית: חתן בחתונתו.Svenska: En bröllopsparad genom Jissr a-Zarkas huvudgata. Brudgummen bär dollarkrona som prydnad, och alla dansar och sjunger runt hans häst. Jissr är en stor muslimsk by vid havet i Israel.
context_page_description: Arabian culture is the culture of the Arabs, from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to the Arabian Sea in the east, and from the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the Horn of Africa and the Indian Ocean in the southeast. Language, literature, gastronomy, art, architecture, music, spirituality, philosophy, mysticism are all part of the cultural heritage of the Arabs.
  The Arab world is sometimes divided into separate regions depending on different cultures, dialects and traditions including:
  • Al-Maghrib,
  • The Fertile Crescent Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan
  • The Mesopotamia Iraq
  • The Arabian Peninsula Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Al Ahwaz Al Arabiya, Oman and the UAE
  • The south of the Arabian Peninsula.
context_section_description: Arab dress for men ranges from the traditional flowing robes to blue jeans, T-shirts and business suits. The robes allow for maximum circulation of air around the body to help keep it cool, and the head dress provides protection from the sun. At times, Arabs mix the traditional garb with clothes.
  Thobe
  In the Arabian Peninsula men usually wear their national dress that is called "thobe" but can be also called "Dishdasha" in Kuwait or "Kandoura" (UAE). "Thobes" differ slightly from state to state within the Gulf, but the basic ones are white. This is the traditional attire that Arabs wear in formal occasions.
  Headdress
  The male headdress is also known as Keffiyeh. Headdress pattern might be an indicator of which tribe, clan, or family the wearer comes from. However, this is not always the case. While in one village, a tribe or clan might have a unique headdress, in the next town over an unrelated tribe or clan might wear the same headdress.
  Checkered headdresses relate to type and government and participation in the Hajj, or a pilgrimage to Mecca.
  Red and white checkered headdress – Generally of Jordanian origin. Wearer has made Hajj and comes from a country with a Monarch.
  Black and white checkered headdress – The pattern is historically of Palestinian origin.
  Black and grey represent Presidential rule and completion of the Hajj.
  Guthra (headdress) in the Arabian Peninsula
  The male headdress in the Gulf states is called Guthra and it is different in each country (size and shape). It is usually worn with a black cord called "agal" that keeps the guthra on the wearer's head.
  The Qatari guthra is heavily starched and it is known for its "cobra" shape.
  The Saudi guthra is a square shaped cotton fabric. The traditional is white but the white and red (shemagh) is also very common in Saudi Arabia.
  The Emirati guthra is usually white and can be used as a wrapped turban or traditionally with the black agal.
caption: A wedding carriage in Jisr az-Zarqa, Palestine
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