Saudi Women; Traditional DressSaudi women, like their other Arab counterparts, wear a traditional covering, called an abaya. It is a large, loose-fitting cloak-like garment worn over their clothes. The purpose of this Arabic dress is to protect the women, and help them to remain modest. The Abaya is made from cotton, polyester, nylon, wool or silk. There are varying cuts—from a sack-like tent robe, to a flowing a-line, glamorous gown-like covering. Some of the Abayas have embroidery, tassels, beading, sequins, ribbons, lace and other decorative accessories. They can be buttoned, zipped or snapped together, and as long as the neck, wrists and ankles are covered, the abaya is doing its job. The styles and cuts of Arabic dress are as individual as the woman who wears them, and prices range from approximately $20.00 US dollars, to several hundred dollars. The Saudi woman wears the abaya in adherence to her religious practices. The rules for Arabic dress are derived from the Koran, and hadith, or traditions of the Prophet Mohammad. In the Koran, it is written: " Arabic women from different parts of the world wear various colors of cloth to cover their body, but Saudi women usually wear black. When I was in the Kingdom, some of the Saudi women were starting to add colored embroidery to their black garments, and in Jeddah, women often wore brightly colored abayas. These abayas, and their colors and patterns reflected tribal associations from neighboring African countries. Saudi women pride themselves on their tradition, and most will wear plain black. Saudi women of influence will pay large sums of money to have customized abayas cut from the finest of fabrics. They detail the garments with real gem stones, in modest proportions, and Saudi women will compare the flow, style and designer abayas amongst themselves. The religious police don’t care about material or design. As long as a woman is covered, he will leave her alone. A Saudi woman has to cover not only her body, but her head. In Saudi, I came across Saudi women who covered their heads and faces completely, and some who even wore gloves. No matter how long I was in the country, I couldn’t help but giggle when a woman passed, veiled from head to toe, in a very traditional Arabic dress style, with netting over her face, wearing her glasses on the exterior of her covering. I often wondered how the glasses stayed in place. The women looked like black mummies wandering the streets in glasses. How much of a woman’s body she has to cover is at the discretion of the man she belongs to, normally her husband. If a Saudi woman is too young to wed, then her father, brothers and/or uncles dictate how modest she should be. Hijab is a general word that indicates not just the headscarf, but clothing in its entirety. A proper Arabic woman has to meet the following conditions : 2. The material must not be so thin that one can see through it. 3. The clothing must hang loose so that the shape or form of the body is not apparent. 4. The female clothing must not resemble the man's clothing. 5. The design of the clothing must not resemble the clothing of the non-believing women. 6. The design must not consist of bold designs which attract attention. 7. Clothing should not be worn for the sole purpose of gaining reputation or increasing one's status in society. Sometimes her family members require that on hair show, or any skin. Saudi women therefore weat a long veil, abaya and long black gloves to cover all parts ofher body. Even her feet may be wrapped in cloth, or hidden in shoes. A woman’s head should always covered, and very little hair should be exposed. A “good and traditional Saudi woman” will hide all of her face and hair beneath her veil. The veil or head covering has different names according to the region an Arabic women comes from. A Saudi woman usually calls her veil a hijab, which literally means the entire modest dress of the Muslim woman. Head coverings have different names, depending on the styles worn in different countries. There are various names for the style and type of headdress. Some women wrap material around their head and tie it in knots, while others have a veil attached at the base of their neck.
A “half niqab” is quite popular in Saudi Arabia. It is a veil that is tied at the back of the head and covers the bridge of the nose and falls to cover the lower face. Another style Saudi women wear, but less popular, is known as the buknuk. This is a veil that extends to the bosom, instead of past the waist. Most often, though, Saudi women call their head coverings by the generic term, ”hijab”.
Names and styles from other countries include:
Bushiyya: a veil that is tied on at the forehead and falls to cover the entire face. It doesn’t have a cut-out slit for the eyes. Arabic women wear a sheer fabric that can be seen through.(one of the Princesses I nursed in Saudi wore this kind of veil as described in my novel, Awry in Arabia, but it is not commonly worn by Saudi women).
Western women in Saudi Arabia , are required to wear an abaya, but do not always have to cover their heads and/or hide their hair. It is advisable, however, to always carry some kind of covering, in case you meet up with one of the religious policemen, known as the matawa. The matawa strictly enforce the law, and to be in defiance of the law leads to dire consequences. Even the Saudi women are reprimanded by the matawa if they don't conform to proper Arabic dress, and if their hijab doesn’t meet the modesty requirements, she could end up in prison, until her father or husband is available to put her in her place.
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