Gulf: What differentiates the Dishdasha from the Kandora?

Kuwait City: For most people that do not live in the Gulf, the traditional clothing for Khaleeji men and women more or less look the same. But those that are exposed to the daily fashion of the Gulf understand the differences between the neighboring countries' styles. The differences between men's clothing is more noticeable, especially the headpieces as each Gulf country has a distinctive style and name. For women, the difference is not so much physical, rather cultural.

The Dishdasha, the traditional dress worn by men in Kuwait, changes colors based on the season. In the summer to avoid attracting the heat, men wear lighter colors, meanwhile in the winter they opt for darker colors, like grey and brown. Men in Kuwait wear the ghotra, headpiece, symmetrically and behind the shoulders, balanced by the agal, a black cord usually made out of goat hair.

The Omani traditional clothing for men, also called a Dishdasha, is distinguished by the lack of collar and the small, often colorful, tassel that sits on the top left of the Dishdasha. Omani men cover their heads in two ways, the Kuma, most commonly worn, and the Msar. The men in the photo are wearing the traditional Kuma, while the Msar is a turban that is often worn during formal occasions and is mandatory for all governmental employees.

In Saudi Arabia, the thobe, the naming used in Saudi for men’s traditional clothing, is distinguishable by its two button collar and noticeable cufflinks. Although the styling of the ghotra varies depending on the occasion, Saudi men tend to wear a red ghotra, otherwise known as a ghemagh.

Also known as the thobe, the Bahraini traditional clothing for men is similar in name to Saudi, yet it varies as most times the thobe’s side pocket has small details to it. Compared to the other Gulf countries, in Bahrain the wearing of the ghotra is more relaxed as it falls easily to the side or the back.

In the UAE, the national dress for men is known as the Kandura, which is different to the other Gulf countries as it has no collar, a long loose tassel in the front and a matching embroidery on the sleeves. Emirati men wear both the white and red ghotra underneath the agal, which has a black tassel attached and drapes down the back.

The Qatari traditional clothing is known as the thobe, which is produced using shiny material and has buttons down the front with a pocket on the side. Qatari’s are distinguishable by their ghotra style, known as the cobra as it is inspired by the snake look, as it is stark and pointy from the front.