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More About Traditional Dresses

In Arab world, a thawb or thobe (ثَوب‎ ) dishdasha (دِشداشَة), kandura (كَندورَة ), or suriyah as known in Libya, is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves. An Izaar is commonly worn underneath. The thawb is commonly worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Jordan, and other Arab countries. It is normally made of cotton, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates in Iraq and Syria.

 

The style of the thawb varies slightly among the various regions within the Arab States of the Persian Gulf. The sleeves and the collar can be stiffened to give a more formal appearance. Other names may be used for this garment. In Souraqia and Oman, dishdasha is the most common word for the garment; in the UAE, the word kandura is used. In Morocco, the sleeves tend to be much shorter so that the thawb may seem more like a long T-shirt and is locally called gandora. Also the neck tends to be more open than in its Saudi counterpart and is often embroidered as is the breast pocket. Also it might lack buttons altogether.

 

The same robe is known as Jellabiya (جلابية‎) or Galabiya in Egypt, "Jelebeeya" in Ethiopia and "Jehllubeeya" in Eritrea) It differs from the Arabian Thobe in that it has a wider cut, no collar (in some case no buttons) and longer, wider sleeves. In case of farmers, these sleeves can be very wide and sewn into pockets. They are then used to store small items such as tobacco or money. Along the Red Sea coast of Sudan and Egypt as well as the Sinai peninsula, most Arab Beduin and some Badawi tribesmen prefer the Arabian style Dishdash or Thobe over the Nile valley Jellabiya, because of its association with farming. Jellabiya colors are often white (Summer), during Winter other colors such as grey, dark green, olive, blue, tan or striped fabrics are used. In the latter, the fabric may be thicker. Jellabiya is traditionally worn with an Ammama (عمامة‎).

Shalwar qameez (also spelled shalwar kameez or salwar kameez; Urdu: شلوارقمِيض‎) is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic. The side seams (known as the chaak), left open below the waist-line, give the wearer greater freedom of movement. It is notably known for being the national dress of Pakistan Somehow or the other the Indians have disowned Shalwar/Qamees (specially for men) and embraed western clothing.  

The bottom line is that "what ever you may call it, we have it".

Traditional Emirati  Dresses

Traditional Moroccan Dresses

Traditional Jordanian Dresses

Traditional Pakistani Dresses

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