Traditional Saudi dress for men

Saudi folk dress for men is the official uniform that is designed to adapt to climatic conditions and is similar to clothing in the Arabian Peninsula. The uniform worn by the citizens of each country expresses the country’s culture, heritage, customs, traditions, and different environmental and climatic conditions. It also expresses the social class to which each citizen belongs, his age, gender, and profession. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the clothes worn by citizens are numerous and vary between clothes worn in the streets and others. It is worn on various religious and national occasions, and the clothes differ according to the different regions of the Kingdom itself. The Saudi official uniform dates back hundreds of years and consists of a dress and a cap over the head, with a shemagh or white ghutra over it and a headband. In the summer, the Saudis wear a white dress, but in the winter, its colors are many, and Saudis are not allowed to wear it. To enter government places if he is not wearing the official uniform.

The authentic Arab dress, which cannot be disputed and can be easily identified, as it is distinctive and gives a distinct elegance to its owner, is different in some countries than in other countries. For example, the distinctive Saudi men’s dress differs from the dress that is worn in the United Arab Emirates, but what is the traditional Saudi dress? ?

Traditional clothing in Saudi Arabia

Traditional clothing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the clothing that all men still wear and whose design they inherited from their ancestors, and which they still wear. In its designs, it does not differ much from the clothing sets that the people of the Arabian Peninsula are keen to wear. The features of the traditional Saudi dress for men or the official Saudi uniform have been formed. Since the founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by King Abdulaziz Al Saud, and from the 1930s of the last century almost to the present day, the Saudi thobe is the official uniform for men. We find that it has its forms, as it acquires developments and additions to be in line with cultural changes affected by the factor of time, but without prejudice to the originality of the Saudi thobe inherited from Generations: The Saudi thobe consists of 22 pieces that are woven and embroidered together with great precision, and are among the basic elements of the Saudi thobe.

Elements of the Saudi dress for men

The traditional dress of Saudi men consists of many elements, the most important of which are the following:

- The thobe

The thobe is the official uniform for men, and it is the most prominent and important piece of the Saudi uniform, which is considered a basic pillar. The Saudi thobe is usually white, and in winter, black, gray, beige, and blue. Al-White is the registered trademark for the Saudi uniform.

The Saudi thobe for men is distinguished from other Gulf thobes in that it takes the shape of the body from the top, and expands as it descends to the bottom.

It is the official Saudi uniform that a person wears throughout the day and when going to public places, as well as in the winter and summer.

The Saudi dress or uniform has sleeves that reach the palms of the hand, as well as being wide and not covering the arms. At the end, these sleeves are open or closed with buttons and may be called (cuff).

The Saudi men's thobe contains 4 buttons on the chest, and its length is designed according to the height of the wearer.

The Saudi dress also has two shapes, one of which takes the shape of two opposite triangles and is called (flap), while the other shape is a circular shape that covers part of the neck.

The garment contains two pockets on the right and left sides, in addition to a pocket on the upper chest.

The most important thing that distinguishes this dress is that it is neither long nor short, nor is it loose or wide.

• The dress is made of soft fabrics and is made of natural or synthetic cotton or polyester.

- The hat

Saudi men wear the hat on their heads, and it is usually not large.

It is also called the Qahfiya, and it is also one of the basic pieces of Saudi men's clothing.

The hat is distinguished by its white color, and is worn on the head. The hat is mostly made of cotton.

What distinguishes the hat in Saudi men's clothing is the way it is woven, which is different from what is customary in Western hats.

• The white skullcap is worn under the shemagh to help secure it so that the shemagh or ghutra does not slip from the head. But provided that it is the size of the head.

- Ghutra and shemagh

The shemagh and ghutra are the official dress of Saudis, who wear them on holidays, occasions and weddings

The shemagh, also called the ghutra, is the piece that men wear over the white yarmulke.

It is a piece of cloth made of cotton that is folded into a triangle when wearing, worn over the hat to cover the head and shoulders, and fastened with the headband.

The shemagh consists of two colors: red and white intertwined together, and there is the ghutra, which is distinguished by its pure white color.

There are several ways to wear the shemagh, such as the Cobra method, the Mizan method, the Bint Al-Bakkar method, and the official method.

- The headband

It is the piece that is placed over the shemagh in order to secure it to the head.

It is a black piece that takes a circular shape, similar to leather, and is placed on top of the head. It is of medium thickness, neither thin nor thick.

• The size of the headband must fit the size of the head to ensure that it is securely attached to the shemagh placed over it.

- The Bisht

Also called the mashallah, the bisht is worn only on official occasions and interviews, due to the prestige it adds to the Saudi dress.

The types of bisht differ in terms of the thickness of the fabric. It is made of light fabric for wearing in the summer, and it is made of heavy fabric for wearing in the winter. It is worn after fully wearing the Saudi dress.

The bisht is worn at weddings and special occasions. It is also worn by kings, ministers, sheikhs and princes. It is an element of the official uniform in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, but the employee does not wear it at work.

As for the colors of the bisht, they are white, which is worn during the day, and black, which is worn at night.

• It is the custom of Saudi men to wear a large ghutra when wearing the bisht, and wear less of the shemagh with it.

- Dagla

The daqla is the official dress that Saudis wear on occasions such as the Janadriyah Festival, and some also wear it at weddings. It is a garment similar to a dress but open at the front and sides and made of the finest fabrics and embroidered in various shapes. The daqla includes many colors, the most prominent of which are grey, black, brown and white.