In UAE, Dubai in particular, the love for traditional clothing is seen more than you see Western wear. The traditional attire of the city symbolises identity, pride, and a sense of culture that is designed keeping religious belief in mind. Also, these clothing are quite comfortable in the sunny hot weather, since the UAE has mostly sunny months throughout the year. If you are heading to the beautiful city of Dubai, you might be wondering whether you need to wear traditional clothing in Dubai. Well, it is not compulsory, or mandatory to do so.
Wearing cultural clothing, especially on your trip to the UAE can give you a touch of their culture, heritage, the pride of the city and so on. It is also a great way to understand the local culture, especially if you are curious and want to know about Emirati attire. So let’s not wait any further and find out what you can expect from this.
The list of Amazingly Unique Traditional clothing in Dubai
If you are wondering about the kind of clothes that you can wear to blend into the Emirati culture on your visit, here is a quick guide for you.
- Kandura
You may have seen this often as you walk past an Emirati man. You will find them wearing a long white cloak and a full-sleeve Kandura the traditional attire for males. There are many unique names of these clothings, some call it Thobe, Dishdasha, and even Thwab, which has the same kind of meaning to it.
There is very limited embroidery done on it, but the look and feel of the Kandura are highly classy. There is even a sort of turban white coloured worn on the head and has a long lace-like thing falling on the back. This attire is pretty famous and for people visiting the UAE, the men can try wearing it. You might have seen the Prince of Dubai, as well as the prime minister of UAE flaunting the Emirati cultural Kandura, usually when they are going to a meeting or just a walk through the city.
- Abaya
Very famous, beautiful and elegant, this traditional long dress is worn by females, which is full sleeves and religiously designed. It is not a dress, but worn on the dress like a cloak which is used to cover all the body parts of the female. underneath, women can wear anything as per their choice, be it a Western outfit, or a traditional cloth, anything that they like. Nowadays, Abaya is used fashionably by flaunting it with Western wear inside and a cloak on the top.
There are different styles to try and make it look modest wear, especially if you want to be in the fashion game. Usually, the colours of the Abaya well-preferred are Black and blue, but there are multiple ones now. Green, peach, yellow, and grey are some of the odd colours that are gaining huge demand nowadays.
- Hijab
A significant importance to Islam is covering the head being a girl, which forms an integral part of the traditional clothing in Dubai, UAE. It is a veil that is used to cover the hair completely, and the ears as well as the neck. These headscarves are worn by women not just in the Gulf but different parts of the world, those who follow Islam. However, if you are visiting UAE, you will find the most popular style for headscarves to be called Shalya, a long sort of scarf in a rectangular design worn through our head and shoulder.
Many women try to wear it just for the sake of style and don’t follow Islam. With that, you can also feel free to choose from a variety of colours, designs, and embroideries, as there are multiple options to pick from. If you are visiting Dubai then you should try and wear these traditional dresses as a symbol of culture, and to try new things in life too.
- Kaffiyeh
While we are talking about headscarves, it is interesting to know that there are headscarves for men as well. These are called Kaffiyeh, or even Ghutrah, especially in Arabic-speaking countries. You can consider this kind of dressing to be a symbol of elegance, or a national crown that Emirati men are proud to wear. The main aim of this piece of cloth on the head in the earlier times was to keep the head safe from the scoring hear, or the sand in the deserets.
Especially at the time of sand storms or sunny weather, it used to work wonders in protecting the temperature of the body, especially the head area. Now, as the culture has evolved and people have realized its uniqueness, it is worn as a symbol of honour and pride and comes in just one particular colour and pattern. You will find this cloth usually when you go for a desert safari, and it is highly advisable to get one and click pictures too in it.
You have heard this saying when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Well, your visit to the UAE will be meaningful only if you try to blend in with the rich and classy culture of the Emirates. UAE is known for its religious beliefs, traditions, culture, cuisine, the people. All of it can be felt only when you look at it closely and feel like you are a part of it. The piece of cloth, the traditional attire that you wear will depict the history of the land. Since, every traditional clothing in Dubai has a story, a long lost talke that will describe the beauty of the land. So, what are you waiting for? If you are visiting the city very soon, now is the time you do your research and find the clothing that interests you. Click some good pictures, and also feel yourself just like an Emirati.
