Did You Know: Qatari Ghutra comes in colors for a reason
I found this piece of information to be really interesting and thought I should share.
The ghutras, the scarves Qatari men wear on their heads, are of many colours, and usually has a significant meaning associated with it.
A white ghutra for instance indicates purity, a red and white ghutra indicates patriotism, and a black and white ghutra denotes freedom. There are other colours, but they don’t necessarily have a meaning.
I hope you enjoyed this little piece of information, in case you were wondering why these headscraves came in different colors.
Have a nice day!
Arabd6, your talking about uses and not where did they originate from
Dear friends ,
Being a Qatari it is really interested to know that some one is interested in our culture.
It is nothing to do with table cover with respect to your kind comment, although it was not that kind.
Red one is used in winter because it is thick and white is used during summer because it is light.
Regards
Courtesy to Google!!
What do different Ghutra colors mean?
I have learned a bit about the UAE dress, but one thing I’ve never understood is the significance of the different colored head dresses men in the UAE wear.
I have seen white, red, and beige. I have also seen it word with an agal, and wrapped as a turbine. Are there social or class distinctions in what colors are worn and how they are worn? Do some signify family status, or marriage status?
- Anonymous
Great questions. The UAE head dress is much like those worn in the rest of the GCC countries, but each region in the GCC has it’s own distinctions. We’ll stick to the UAE for the most part.
There is no significant social or class distinctions when it comes to colors worn. Today, the choice in color of the ghutra (Light all white cotton head dress, also called a Sufra) or Shimagh (Usually red and white checkered) are mostly related to fashion.
Men choose the red one to change the habit of all white, and other colored ones to match their colored dishdashas. It is not strange, especially in winter months, to see men wearing navy blue dishdashas and matching ghutras.
However, as a matter of practicality, the lighter, white colored Sufra is usually worn in the hot summer months, the heavier colored Shimaghs in the colder winter months.
Geographically speaking, it is more likely to see red shimaghs in the KSA than in the UAE, and more likely to see a Shaal, a very heavy multi-colored wool head dress in Oman or the Northern Emirates where the mountain air is cold.
As for how the head dress is worn, there is no specific guide to who may or may not wear it with an agal or as a wrapped turban. The rule of thumb though is that wearing with an Agal is formal, and so you will see it worn mostly at work, weddings, and when older (past 20) men are out.
The Wrapped way, also called the Hamdanniyya, is a casual dress, and is hardly ever word at work. It is also the favorable way to wear the head dress for younger boys.
Looking back, we all wore Hamdanniyya till college, then switched to the Agal, so loosely, it is age related.
However, even a 50 year old may wear a hamdanniyya when in a casual setting. The late Sh. Zayed for example, often wore the Hamdanniyya when in casual settings.
No gulf head dresses signify a family’s status or a person being married or not.
This piece of information is purely factional !
I'm a Qatari and can tell you that it is linked with personal style not a reference of messages.
The red Ghutra is indeed adapted from table covers.
Mohdnoor,
FYI, the red ghutra came from the British, it was used as a table cover