Thawb

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the city in Yemen, see Thaub, Yemen.

Men wearing dishdashas

A thawb/ thobe (Arabic: ثوب‎, ṯawb), dishdasha (دشداشة, dišdāšä), kandura (كندورة, kandūrä) or khameez (قميص, qamīṣ) is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe.

[edit] Background

It is typically worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula and some surrounding countries. It is normally made of cotton, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates.

The word thawb/ thobe is the standard Arabic word for 'a garment'. It is sometimes spelt thobe or thaub. It is used specifically for this garment in the Gulf States. However, in the United Arab Emirates, the word kandura is more common. In the Levant, dishdasha is the most common word for the garment.

There has been some debate regarding the correct length of the thawb/ thobe. In the orthodox view of muslim dresscode, the length should be somewhat shorter than ankle.

The style of the thawb/ thobe varies slightly among the various regions within the Gulf. The sleeves and the collar can be stiffened to give a more formal appearance. In Morocco, the sleeves tend to be a lot shorter so that the thawb/ thobe may seem more like a long T-shirt and is locally called gandora . Also the neck tends to be more open that in its Saudi counterpart and is often embroidered as is the breast pocket. Also it might lack buttons altogether.

The term thawb/ thobe is also used to refer to a very long, oversized woman's garment with a heavily embroidered front panel and billowing back, also known as a Khaleeji dress. These dresses are most commonly seen in the West being worn for performance of the Saudi women's social dancing style, in which manipulation of the large thawb/ thobe is a key component.