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Traditional Dress and Jewelry
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Traditional Dress. |
Saudi Arabia's dress is one of its strongest ties to the past and reflects the challenging environment, faith and value of its people. The practicality of loose, flowing garments in a hot wind-swept climate was reinforced by the Islamic ideals of propriety dress and conduct.
Today, as in antiquity, men wear a thawb, a simple, ankle length shirt of wool or cotton. Traditional headwear includes a ghutra, a large diagonally-folded cotton square worn over a kufiyyah (skull cap) and held in place by an igaal, a double-coiled cord circlet. A flowing floor-length outer cloak, known as a bisht, is generally made of wool or camel hair in black, beige, brown or cream tones.
The woman's traditional dress displays regional and tribal motifs and is embellished with coins, sequins, metallic thread or brilliantly colored fabric appliques. The classic headdress is a.shayla - a scarf of black gauzy fabric wrapped around the head and secured by a variety of head circlets, hats or jewelry. An abaya, a black outer cloak, is customarily worn over the dress in public.
Fine embroidery of clothes and the weaving of elaborately-designed textiles have also been long practiced in the peninsula. Designs used in tent coverings saddlebags and carpets vary from region to region.
Jewelry has been an essential element of Arabian dress for thousands of years. Typically made of silver or silver alloy, traditional bracelets, rings , necklaces and head ornaments are characterized by their impressive size, bold designs and hand-crafted appearance. The jewelry is often embellished with semi-precious stones, corals, beads and coins .
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