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The national dress of Oman for both man and woman is colorful with embroidery and decorations. The choice of color and embroidery for the dress may vary from region to region. Omani women, in particular are distinguished from their Gulf neighbors by their vibrant national costumes.
Omani National Dress for Men
The national dress for men in Oman is an ankle-length, collarless gown with long sleeves called the dishdasha. The most prominent color for this dress is white though other colors can also be seen. It is adorn with a tassel called furakha or karkusha sewn into the neckline. It is scented with perfume or frankincense. Underneath the dishdasha, a plain piece of cloth is worn that covers the lower part of body.
The most noted regional differences in dishdasha designs are the style with which they are embroidered. Embroidery also varies according to age group with more detail included for the younger generation. On formal occasions, the dishdasha is covered by a black or beige cloak called bisht. The embroidery edging the cloak is often in silver or gold thread and it is intricate in detail.
Omani man's costume is not complete without the headdress and khanjar ( silver, handcrafted knife or dagger). There are two types of headdresses for men, i.e., muzzhar and kummah. The muzzhar is a square of finely woven woolen or cotton fabric wrapped and folded into a turban. It is generally of single color decorated with various embroidered patterns and worn for official engagements and the workplace. The kummah is an intricately embroidered cap worn during leisure hours. Traditionally, kummah is hand-embroidered and comes in a multitude of colors and styles.
The shal is a long strip of cloth that is tied around the waist to hold the khanjar. It may be made from the same material as the muzzhar. The holder may be designed in the form of a belt made from leather and silver called a sapta.
Omani National Dress for Women
Omani women wear colorful costumes embellished with vibrant colors and embroidery. The main components the outfit are the thawb or dishdasha (robe) worn over sirwal or tiidi (trousers/pantaloon) called along with the headdress. The dress varies in style and decoration according to the regions.
In the region of Muscat, plain or printed cotton cloth with geometric or flower patterns is used to prepare thawb. The thawb is decorated with gold and silver bands as well as tilli (locally made braid) around the neckline and cuffs. Sinjaaf (piece of cloth of different color) is attached to the lower hem of the thawb. The sirwaal is often decorated with broad patterns from the knee to the ankle.
Waqaya (3-m long shawl of light cotton cloth with tassels of colored wool along the shorter ends) is used to cover the head. The tassels may also be woven from colored silk or gold and silver thread.
The thawb is locally referred to as ‘abu dhayl' (father of a tail) in Dhofar. It is usually made from velvet material with fine embroidery on it. The front part of thawb is called al-gadma, which reaches to mid-calf length while the back part called al-dhayl is very long and sweeps along like a tail. Fijiyya (broad embroidered strip) runs down from mid neckline. The lower part of the pantaloons is embroidered with braid and silver thread.
Shabaka is the head-cover for this region. It is made of black cloth decorated with beads.
Ladies of Dhofar adorn themselves with elaborate jewelry worn around the head, neck, wrists, ankles, fingers and toes. They rarely wear a birka (mask), nevertheless, the older women, originating from the area of Nejd and the mountains may do so. The birka is often dyed gold or indigo.
In the region of Al Batinah, the female attire consists of three components of various colors. The thawb falls down up to 30 cm below the knee. The shaqq (neckline) is embroidered with patterns of braid and bands. The complex embroidery on the chest portion is called mussader. The lower hem of the thawb is also embroidered and edged with the sinjaf. Omen from Al Batinah wear two types of pantaloons - al-yadila and al-khayali.
Waqaya (head cover) of this region is distinguished by tassels at the shorter ends. The shayla (shawl) is worn over the whole ensemble when leaving the house.
The costume of Al Dakhiliyah is similar to that of the Muscat and Batinah regions. The distinctive feature is the short thawb with sinjaf of various color attached to the lower hem. Above the sinjaf are beads machine embroidered with al-wat (silver threads). The shaqq is embellished with linked spiral circles made from fine siim (filigree). The pantaloons are decorated with multicolored woolen threads in braid, marriya and rasma styles.
In the interior areas, women wear the waqaya that has colored woolen tassels at each end. Al-laisu is a 3-metre long piece of colored cotton cloth worn by women as a head-cover when leaving the house to go on trips outside the village. Al-ghadfa is half the size of al- laisu, worn as a head-cover when visiting neighbors or the village. Today, it has the function of the abaya (cloak).
In the region of Al Sharqiyah, the thawb falls below knee length. It is made from various types of silk material and the sleeves are embroidered in silver and silken thread. The gab'a (long loose fitting cloak traditionally made of black cotton tulle) is worn over the thawb. The gab'a is decorated with embroidery on the front located between the neckline and the waist is known as the khidma. The embroidered square in the middle of the back is called the mansouba. The al-basta (pantaloons) are distinctly narrow in the lower part and generally made from black cloth with narrow silver stripes with lower hems embroidered in silver thread.
Shader al-tarh is a long rectangle that is worn over the head and wrapped around the person as a cloak when leaving the house. It is usually made of crimson silk and woven with stripes of silver thread.
Heavy gold jewelry is worn on the head, neck, arms, and feet, with a ring on every finger, each one having a separate name.
In Al Dhahirah region of Musandam & Al Shahirah, the women wear kandoura (long cloak). The kandoura is embroidered near the chest in the shape of a horizontal rectangle while on the left side is a vent stretching to the waist fastened with internal snap fasteners. In the Musandam Governorate, women traditionally wear the adliyya (flowing transparent robe) over the kandoura. It is embellished with tilli and gold & silver threads. In the past, adliyya was of a different color from the kandoura but nowadays it is made of matching chiffon and embroidered around the neckline and chest area. Pantaloons are decorated with al-baadila (wide braid).
Shayla is the head cover made of light cloth resembling lace or muslin with the hems embellished with silver threads. Women in these regions tend to wear the burqa (veil covering lower part of the face) when leaving the house.
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