Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
What to Wear
Nothing offends Arabs quite as much as inappropriate clothing. Topless or nude sunbathing
on beaches or in wadi areas is strictly forbidden on the Peninsula; those who flout this law
are liable to be arrested. Here are a few tips on what travellers should wear to avoid offend-
ing anybody.
Men
Traditional dress has acquired complex nationalist connotations, visually setting apart nat-
ives of the region from the large population of foreigners. As such, Western men should
avoid wearing local
thobes
or
dishdashas
(man's shirt-dresses) - at best, Arab people think
it looks ridiculous. Locals dress smartly if they can afford to and visitors are similarly
judged by their dress. Some hotel bars and nightclubs have a strict dress code and on the
whole it's unacceptable to be seen anywhere in public, including hotel foyers and souqs, in
shorts, vests and flipflops.
MOSQUE ETIQUETTE
Some of the most impressive structures in the Arabian Peninsula are the Grand Mosques that grace each capital
city. They are often open for visits by non-Muslims and can prove to be inspirational in terms of the cultural in-
sights they afford. The following advice will help ensure no offence is unwittingly caused.
Do...
»
Visit mosques that are explicitly open to visitors at the publicised times.
»
Dress modestly in loose clothing, covering shoulders, arms and legs (and cleavage and hair if you are a woman);
some mosques may request women to wear an
abeyya
(full-length black robe). Some mosques refuse admission to
those wearing blue denim jeans, frayed jeans and any clothing deemed 'disrespectful'.
»
Remove your shoes before stepping into the prayer hall.
»
Sit on the carpet, enjoy the ambience and marvel at the usually lavish carpets, tiles, pillars, chandeliers and
domes.
»
Take photographs unless otherwise directed.
Don't ...
»
Enter a mosque during prayer times unless you are Muslim.
»
Enter the women's prayer hall if you are a man (women may enter the men's prayer hall in most public-opening
mosques).
