Omani Traditional Dress on the Runway

Oman has managed to preserve much of its original culture, including the differing and colourful varaiations of regional dresses for women. Now more or less reserved for special occasions or hidden under black abayas, the traditional dress is being reinvented and influenced by the different regions brought together in workplaces and schools. The kind of jewelry once worn by women in Dhofar is now worn by women in Buraimi, ect. Designers of the "new " traditional dress are influenced by the other regions or other media, and this has always been the case in Oman, due to the import of Indian craftsmen and trade in Zanzibar, and a policy of welcoming foriegners as valued guests.
Traditional Muscat/a form of Al Batinah regional dress is constantly adapting, but has strongly influenced the perceived form of the 'national dress' along with the interior Ad Dakliyah region. Often worn for state occasion and by school children for His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said, the Al Batinah and Ad Dakliyah dresses could most commonly be considered the majority Omani dress.

Mistakenly referred to by expats and non-Omanis as "Hindu" or "Pakistani" influenced dresses, due to the predominance of the tunic top and sirwal, Omani pants, being tighter at the ankle, are in no way similar in cut to the churider pants of India, nor is the cut of the Omani tunic, though the embroideries of these dresses today, are predominately Pakistani and Indian due to the tailors originating from those countries in Muscat.

*In the 1900s it was quite common for the women of Muscat to wear the birqa face covering now more closely associated to Beduoin culture in other regions.*

Traditional Muscati dress consists of a knee length tunic dress and worn over sarwal /pants, a headscarf often fringed called waqayah or lihaf, worn under another longer rectangular scarf without fringe called the leso or a kanga by the Zanzibari/East African Omani population dependent on the textile used. Al Batinah and Ad Dakliyah Regional Dresses

Dresses of the Muscat and Al Batinah region also typically feature what are called zarrie laces running from the shoulder to the hem as a means of decoration, on the sirwal, and at the neck fastening of the tunic. This is also consistant from Muscat, Al Batinah, and Ad Daklihaya region/governates, only difference being Al Batinah and Ad Dakiliyah typically have a textile trimming the bottom of the tunic additionally called, I believe, the sinjaf??? Al Batinah usually use purple fabric to form the sinjaf traditionally, while Ad Dakliyah tunic styles are hemmed on the longer side, mid calf rather than knee length. Ad Dakliyah dresses ALWAYS include the leso and the yarn fringed warqiyah/lihaf, and this is the Omani style you will most often spot OPNO sporting.uscat style, are also, now being influenced by Western and Indian culture, as these artistic expressions below bear testment to:

Dhofari dress: The outfit worn by Dhofari women is made up of three parts: the sarwal (the trousers), the loose dress which is shorter in the front and longer in the back called abuthail "father of the tail", the shayla/headcovering. It differs from the regional dress of other parts of Oman, mainly because of the area's classical relation to the Hadramout Kingdom.
Traditionally, the sarwal were not worn in areas of Dhofar further away from Yemen, although they always WERE worn in Yemen. Today, however, women in Dhofar wear the sarwal when leaving the house. For more casual occasions they are made of cotton and for special occasions velvet, silk or another more valued textile, and often decorated at the ankle hem.
Daily worn, the abuthail dresses are made of cotton with no embellishment and with a shorter tail hemline as exampled in the below, albeit, the below being a highly embellished example of the shorter, more practical day-wear hemlines.For special occasions they are made of velvet and silk chiffons, and highly embellished with crystals or embroideries. Traditionally, black velvet was worn for the abuthail with edging embroidered with bright alternating coloured threads in pointed and straight lines. Though new styles have evolved, originally the dress had a square neckline with no sleeves, only openings in the side seams. With the back trailing behind and the front hemmed above the ankles, legend in Salalah says the dress evolved this way to erase a woman's footsteps. Of course, it wouldn't have been made of silk in the past, if the legend holds true;)
The headcovering in Salalah is traditional worn loose but is now securely wrapped, this having evolved from more Northern Omani styles.
Having just covered one of the most often produced traditional dresses reinvented by designers on the runways, after the Dhofari dress, the other dress most worn by my Omani friends who aren't ACTUALLY from Dhofar or Sur in Ash Sharqiyah region, is the traditional dress of Sur, the suri.

Ashsharqiyah Dress from Sur is traditionally of the same function as Northern Omani dress, consisting of a tunic dress and sarwal pants, but the way that these items are embellished is distinct to the region. While other Omani regions typically embellish the bottom of the tunic and its chest, this region only embelished the garment on the wrists and on the bottom hem of the Sirwal. Additional embroidery for the chest panel was left for the suri.
The suri, better described pictorially in its traditional form in this post http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/12/suris-traditional-sharqiyah-dress.html is a loosely woven (traditionally black) wide sleeved overgarment, usually extensively embroidered along the chest, and often minutely on the sleeve hems. It is worn over the embroidered traditional tunic and pants by pulling the sleeve edges up and over on the head so that they criss-cross eachother. This can leave the arms either covered to the elbow, or to the wrist, depending on how far back on the head the garment it tied/pinned. It may also be used to fully envelop the face. It is very breathable, and easy to move in and usually covers to the feet or ankles, unlike the shorter tunic worn beneath.

Barka Al Jig Baluchi dress- There are no concrete facts as to the origin of this design but popular opinion is that it originated in the city of Barka in the Al Batinah region. However, there are numerous other cities where the Baluchi women also wear this style.

Unlike traditional Baluchi dress with ruched siding seams at the waist, this dress is not worn beyond Omani borders, and the embellishments on the chest, wrists, and hem all demonstrate an Omani influence, including the two vertical lines that run from each shoulder to the hem.

This style dress usually includes a lihaf (headcovering), tighter sirawal than traditional Baluchi pants embroidered Omani style with laces and zarrie, and a mid-calf dress without set-in sleeves called a Juma. Similar to the Dhofari abuthail, it has side seam openings instead.

Although I could not find any pics of traditional Baluchi dress at this fashion show, I posted about it here:
http://howtolivelikeanomaniprincess.blogspot.com/2010/10/not-traditional-omani-dress-but-close.html

and this Muslim woman whose blog I enjoy also did: http://muhajabat.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/dress-of-the-balooch-women/

Beduoin Al Wusta Dress traditionally consisted of a long dress mainly embroidered at the wrists called a jalabiyia, with sirwal that could hardly be seen that were rarely embellsihed, and shayla/headscovering made from sheer black cotton mesh.

The burqa/facial mask is always worn by married women in Al Wusta region, and traditionally dark colours like indigo and black are preferred for the burqa.

Overtop of the jalabiyia a ghabaah is worn. A ghabaah is a fine black mesh covering worn over the full-length of the jalabiyia and unlike the Suri version, is not used to cover the hair and so, is much narrower in cut and unembellished traditionally. This covering is completely sheer but tends to protect the clothing underneath from being scratched by sand and dust.

*These are the runway fashion pics I could find thus far depicting regional dressing, though I will still endeavor to include regions thus far neglected.*

Weekend Recap: Rustaq Road Trip

On the weekend 2 OPNOs drove to Rustaq (which one of them remembers as having been a part of Ad Dhakliyah historically), by way of Al Mussanah (after Seeb & Barka), which is why, she then supposed, it had become part of Al Batinah region. What a difference a road makes, right?

She remarked that it was waaaaaaaaay less longer than route to Rustaq from Nakhl. THIS OPNO, honestly wouldn't know.

Well, honestly (using that word twice) I fell asleep before we got there. But I was woken up at the Al Kafsah hot spring.

BTW, Isra, OPNO insists I add you got taken HERE---NOT to Nakhl.

Review: I don't like this stupid hot spring because if you are a Muslim it is sexist, and if you are an expat, it is highly inappropriate. What?! all readers must wonder. Well, I'll tell you. The hotspring is situated with the swimming/bathing area right under a Mosque, so it is not respectful for any non-muslim woman to be jumping in here in her bathing suit. Being, it is right next to a MOSQUE. This, really, is not the hotspring's fault, right? And I mean, there weren't really non-muslims living in the area so buidling a Mosque right there would not have been a problem for the respect and dignity of the Muslim community. But it IS sexist, as the Ministry of Tourism has oh so kindly built semi-private swimming areas for men, but there is no area for women. As I stated for the expats, this poses some trouble. Really, I could look at the spring, and it makes one whoel single photo, but it wasn't impressive. But I see why Omani men like it.

Onwards, we went to the fort. Which was closed for restoration. But never to fear, OPNO and MOP charmed their way in as per usual, and we had to pay nothing. But the fort IS closed, so unless you have the insane ability to walk through walls, climb castle parapets, or be skinny enough to slip through a chained closed door, well, Rustaq is on the OPNO MUST SEE WAITING LIST.

It is an AWESOME fort though, very important in Oman's history from the time period where they were battling the Portuguese, so I am told. It has the most impressive wall I have seen in Oman, and most resembles my idea of a castle. Jabrin is more polished, Nakhl more Omani in its veiw of surrounding date plantations, but Rustaq is massive, and charming. It is the largest fort I've been to, tough MOP drove us past Bahla and that fort (also closed for restoration) seemed pretty big too.

Highlight of this trip was that the locals in Rustaq let us take home some antqiue doors and window frames (which you will consequently be charged a fortune for in Mutrah Souq or in Al Qurum), and there was a goat that had gotten itself stuck in the local hypermarket. It was led in by an Omani man who thought it would be funny to take this very dignified looking lost goat inside the hypermarket and see what madness pursued.

Oman, Oman.

That hypermarket also had very cheap but yummy chocolates.

OPNO's Likes....: Souqs (top 5 picks)

In "OPNO likes" we are going to give you our top five picks with runner-ups for things we like to see or do (or eat) in Oman, inshaAllah.

TOP FIVE SOUQS in Oman

1.) Mutrah Souq, Muscat: as it contains spices, insence, perfumes, tourist souvenirs, cheap clothes and accessories persons--house&home--and more from India and China, a gold souq, a fish souq, fabric stores, tailoring bits&bobs plus tailoring services, Omani traditional things, furniture (not very much but...), and a lovely location along the Corniche. You feel like you are in Ali Baba's cave or in the Disney Aladdin movie at times.

The reason this souq is number one for Oman to me is a. it's location in Muscat and touristy traditional things, easily accessible by tourists but still frequented by real live Omanis going about their shopping, and near-ness to a lovely stroll down the corniche , or trips to Museums [Bait Al Baranda] and a decent cafe or 2. I also love the tailors since I am a fan of Omani traditional dresses.

Located in the Al Batinah region, just a short drive away from Muscat. Open Weekly from: 8-9 am, and 4-10:30 pm. Fridays: 4:00-11:00 pm is best.

2.) Sinaw Souq, As Sharqiyah: for it being the oldest preserved souq in Oman and for it being the best place to buy genuine antique beduoin jewelry and rifles, as well as camels.

I chose it because I love Beduoin life, and short of journeying into the wahiba or spending more time in the region, this is a place Beudoin families come for socialising. And anyone who knows me in IRL, knows I am a Beduoin if they ever was one.


Located in Al Sharqiyah Region, the quickest way to get here from Muscat is to drive up the Nizwa road, and turn towards Adam. From Adam it takes roughly 40 minutes.
Open from 7 a.m- 11:oo a.m. Best day is Thursday.


3.) Al Hafah Souq, Dhofar: Nestled in the coconut groves on Salalah's south side it is a cozy souq in the Al Hafah section of town. Here are textile shops, gold and silver souqs and probably best of all, perfumeries where you can find the best frankincense in Oman, and bukhoor that will send your olfactory senses sailing.

Additionally, there are several local cafe's serving up the best in local snacks and tidbits-mishkak, hummus, etc, and if you are a fan of khaleeji abayas, Salalah's tailors make the nicest at the lowest prices.

Located is Al Hafah, Salalah, open from, honestly, I don't know, please, a Dhofari reader let me know, but usually from 8 am-1 pm, and 4-10 pm I'm guessing.

4.) Nizwa Souq, Ad Dhakliyah: I kind of had to choose Nizwa souq even though I don't frequent it personally, very often, because a. it is only a 2 hour drive from Muscat, b. for Omanis it has the best traditional livestock souq [goats, cows, chickens] on friday mornings and the best silversmiths in the country [I always buy a new ring or bracelet when I come here, maybe a get some work done a khanjar for my son], b. it is located adjacent Nizwa fort, a popular tourist destination in itself, and finally, c. there's always the touristy stuff, and on any day of the week you can experience the usual hustle-bustle of the traditional markets selling fruits and vegetables, spices, meat and fish.

Open from 7:30 am-1:00 pm, and 4:00-9:30 pm. Best day, early friday morning.

5.) Ibra's Wednesday Women-Only Souq, As-Sharqiyah: Ladies, here is your chance to prove your shopping mettle at the Wednesday Souq in Ibra. Why? Because it's an all-women affair. No men allowed. So ditch your significant other and come to Ibra. Handicrafts, utensils and textiles are the main features here.

If you like traditional dress as much as OPNO does, this souq is for you. Wednesday morning 7:30-11:30 pm is the best time.

Weekend Recap

So, on the long weekend, I was invited to an Omani women's only party in Shatti [oh dear, I guess I will be giving away my identity now, but there's still 2 other OPNOs for ya'll to work on sooooo], and as per usual, me and a friend took a drive up to Nakhl. [I love Nakhl]. Actually, all OPNOs that remain in Oman love Nakhl.

Anyways, I am TOTALLY thinking about buying an old historical house on Nakhl and restoring it with the help of an Omani friend, so really, the trip was to see what was available, and how much it would cost as a reno project. You can buy the place for 5000 OMR, but I mean, if the walls are going to cave in on you, and you need to out in elecricity and bathrooms, it is gonna be a little more than that, like another 10 000 OMR at least, and if the walls are gonna cave, you need that 10, 000 to start.

So, we bought mishkeek (grilled lamb on a skewer) by the fort like we always do at magraib time if we are there, parked at the hot springs, and wandered up the river (found a donkey and some Omani men praying magraib), and then turned back to the food shops. Behind them is a road to the village, and walking through here really isn't a touristy thing to do. They don't take buses of tourists through the old part of the village, but me and my friend were on the hunt for old houses. So we found some, which were really nice and in good shape, but we also got lost, and two Omani boys had to drag up back to the car park. Because we are sooooo awesome, and well, my friend has the worst memory in the world, and a bad habit that often results in getting lost of wanting to find "a different way" back. Most villages in Oman have just one road through them so the different way back? Doesn't exist!!!!!!

At least we saw alot of frogs, and my abaya got all muddy, and we nearly fell into the river:D

To get to Nakhl, my friend and I noted, there is no sign for the turn off on the road there, but there is a thing that looks like a little buse shelter, and a government building with a solely in Arabic sign, before one other turn off. I will take a picture for you all next time I go. This is where you turn to get to Nakhl. And you keep on driving straight, straight, straight through the town past the fort and shops, and through a winding stone fenced road of farms to the hot springs. At which point, there will actually BE a sign. Saying, well, you made it. This is it.

Well, this also happened to be the night of the party in Shatti. I was told the same day that it was a barbecue, and women only, so, you know, I dressed for a barbecue, the way I would back in the West. I wore a cute denim skirt, and a red blouse top, and cute sandals, nothing fancy, since, well, we'd be barbecuing right? My abaya was the same one I wore to Nakhl, and it is an abaya that cost only 7 rials, plain black, three snap Islamiyia style.

For all those curious about Omani women's parties.

WRONG.

At Omani women's barbecue parties, the Omani women sit in lovely designer casual wear on bright cushions or plastic blow up chairs on carpets spread out on the lawn, with their hair all perfect under christmas lights strewn across the villa's walls so no one can see under, and a very strange English hip-hop meets Hilary Duff with Arabic music thrown in CD plays, and the maids all barbecue. This is a wear your most stylish abaya barbecue.

As I come in I hide my purse, because it is not Chanel, Gucci, or Louis Vuitton, and it is kind of dusty and scratched from my adventure in Nakhl. Girl's arrive in blinged out designer abayas, and to be honest, mine is the plainest one there. I have my fair share of glam abayas, but where I have moved, out of Muscat, nobody wears abayas like these friends of mine, and I'd be the odd one out if I dressed like I like to (like these girls and women). But with abaya off, and wearing clothes from a Western store unavailable in the GCC, no one knows that my sandals are not haute couture, or that my blouse isn't. My skirt could be Zara. And honestly, while these girls have money, they aren't snobs. They don't care.

Women go to certain carpets, based on what set they are in. There are the preteen girls in a gaggle together, the stylish young mothers with their babies all cooing together, a very glam Arabic speaking set that say hi to me in Arabic, and i sit with the multi-lingual set, where French, Arabic, and English are spoken, and people talk about Univeristy or travel, or my story of how I am in Oman. My friend R arrives and she alone laughs at my dress and abaya, and from her, it's okay, because she always teases me. "You're spending too much time in the village" she purred. I probably was. I was getting quieter, and listening more.

We drank Sun Top and Pepsi, and ate h'ordoerves, and then I wanted to take off my tights because it was too warm for tights, and all the bathrooms were full, so I was shown to another bathroom beyond the women-only section of the house, where I could change. I was left there, and I didn't take my purse (it being hidden and all due to it's lack of a good name or a material of quality).

Well, I guess a maid from the men's side of the house wanted to make sure no one used this part of the house in mistake so she locked the door to the rooms I was in from the outside.

So when I went to get out I was trapped. I banged on the door till my fists were red, and I screamed for help, and the houses in Shatti are serriously so big that no one could hear me. So I climbed the pipe in the bathroom to a window above that opened to the party outside and yelled help out there.

Thankfully, a maid heard me and came and got me. I spent one hour in the makeup and no one thought to look for me, because some women paint themselves white with makeup and it takes about an hour to put that stuff on anyways.

When I went to find the maid from the host to thank her, after we had the barbecue and awesome desert (real strawberry shortcake), the host didn't know the maid.

Apparently, if you are going to an Omani woman's barbecue in Shatti, you bring your maid. Go figure.

So leaving the party, my driver was too embarrassed by his car to park close to the house near everyone's Porsches. So I walked down the road, and asked him why, and he said, "The neighbors were looking at me funny, like why is this car in their neighborhood." I laughed, and went home. Even Shatti is an adventure for me, R would tell you.

On another day I went to Bait Naman in Barka, cuz I'd never been there, at the recomendation of an Omani family who owns the helwa (Omani sweet) factory there, and a few other places. They fed me 5 kinds of helwa before that (the only one I find tolerable is the abyad one with no milk), sprayed me with 5 kinds of perfume and two kinds of oud, and stuck bukhour up my dress, and then I headed out to Bait Naman, a 400 year old fortified house in Oman used for political meetings and such. It had some antiques inside, and alot of pigeons on the roof. Some of the antiue khanjars were nice. I didn't spend alot of time there, but there was an Omani family being given a personal tour of the house in Arabic by the caregiver.

After that, I think I slept. So, those are the highlights of this OPNO's long weekend.

Daily Diary: Sumail Stretch, doing the touristy thing

So my weekend, before the food poisoning incident, was actually a wonderful one, besides the fact that yet again my visit to my husband's village was delayed.

Arab families have way too many politics.

But we stopped by friends' in Nizwa, and had qhahwa and dates (yummy with tahini dip and sesame seeds), and then, well, MOP had promised to take the girls of OPNO to Izki, since it is one of the oldest places of Islam in Oman, but MOP missed the half a dozen turn offs to Izki (not a fan of the place apparently) so the girls went and saw a small village in Sumail where a little local Omani girl in village dress played peekaboo with one OPNO and other climbed up a hill to see a fort that was NOT THE fort, but turned out to be BETTER than the fort in Sumail.

Sumail seems an awesome place to see crumbling village houses, and a genuine felaj system that was solely used up until the last ten years [recounts MOP, our not-overtly-interested-in- anything-crumbling guide].

Also there was this famous Omani house in Sumail whose name escpaes me, restored for tourists, but it was closed. Only open in the morning. So the OPNO girls saw that from the outside, and one of them pried the door open half way enough that she could fit in the through the crack, but the others were far too fat (HEALTHY!) to make it.

So the group ended up praying Al Asr prayer in a ruined Masjid adjacent to the house (which was slipping off the hillside) to the amusement of one local family who came over to say salaam and informed the group they may have been the first persons to have prayed in that Mosque/Masjid in the last 150-300 years. Kind of cool.

In the evening they saw the Barka souq (traditional vegetables and fish, better in the morning), and headed off into Muscat for a firework show. They ate cotton candy, and popcorn, from a very happy coffee chop with more customers then it could handle, and on the drive back stopped at the camel breeding center to ask about the price for an Omani camel.

OPNO petted some camels and fed them palm leaves, and were told the camels were not for sale, so I guess that leaves another road trip to Sinaw in the near future.

DAILY DIARY: Weekend Round-Up

Wow! I really haven't been out on the town in Muscat in a long while. I haven't gone to any sporting events or fashions shows for months, though handball, no matter what, I am coming. Yes, B, I know that sounds ridiculous to you, but I got addicted.

Really, I am sorry, anyone who reads this for current events, for having been out of the loop.

One of our OPNOs left Oman and is now a Law student in North America. We MISSSSS you OPNO #2. Now she is only an honorary OPNO author, since she is now trying to be a New York City Princess and is having a difficult time coping with missing Muscat city, where she was really the reigning Queen of current events.

To give you a dose of Oman to satisfy your addiction PNIOA (PRINCESS NOT IN OMAN ANYMORE), OPNO will doccument her BEYOND awesome weekend. We'll make B miss Oman too. Here goes:

I went camping in Qantab Wednesday night. I hiked to the top of the ridge and camped out in one of the oldwatchtowers on the hills. Only it is a square shaped one. Camping fire et all. Very private, and in the morning I went swimming in of the more private coves near the main beach with friends. We jumped and wrestled and played like little kids. I also swallowed a good deal of super salty water, and Z scared me by screaming shark since she knows OPNO has a thing with sharks in Oman. We ALMOST paid one of the fishermen (Abdullah) to take us out on a boat ride, but we are long-timers. None of us consider ourselves expats (and one of us was Omani) so we decided to run back to OPNO's flat to change and then drove out to Barka where we got a good lunch at a Turkish restaurant.

Then we drove out to Nakhl, a place near and dear to OPNO's heart. Z said she knew how to get there because she had relatives in Rustaq but really she didn't. OPNO though spied the fort and was like, turn here, turn here, this is Nakhal, but Z insisted on phoning and driving way the hell back to the ministry like a relative advised her to do. Which was the same bloody road OPNO had pointed out a half an hour back but, well, we got there. No one had seen the fort but OPNO so Princess was super excited. Z was like to everyone, dressed Omani as all were in Z and OPNO's closets, to be quiet, to see if all could get local price on admission to the fort, because collectively, the girls wanted to rent movies and eat dinner, and have gas money left for the car, and baisas is all we had left. 500 baisa is what we paid for admission of our entire party, which is nowhere near the price one is supposed to pay for a single admission (one rial per adult person OPNO believes). We also were allowed to stay a while after closing.The girls had so much fun running around, seeing all the rooms, and OPNO telling everyone the age of swords and guns and cannons (which Z decided to shove into the cannon). They climbed all the towers, something quite dangerous to do but no one in Oman seems to care since sueing isn't really an issue to the ministry of tourism. The veiws from the uppermost ramparts were beyond compelling, taking in the village and date plantations and the dry falaj system. OPNO nearly broke her neck though on an Eastern tower near the wali's room since one of the steps off the ladder fell out of the wall. Thankfully, she caught hold of another step and only dropped her purse on poor Z's head.

Going out through the traditional smaller door since the castle/fort was closed up for the night (Nakhl has a three door-to-the-gate system) was a very authentic experience, which we enjoyed, all of us feeling like Omani Princesses until Z screamed out, "Mishcock!!!!!!" as she spied, directly across from the fort, a mishcock vendor grilling delicious meat on skewers. Grabbing cans of pepsi and correcting Z's pronunciation of pepsi from "bebsi" (Arabic has no "p" letter while grasping wands of mishcock, Z drove us to the one place she DID KNOW in Nakhl, through the farms and plantations: A' Thowarah Hot Springs.The hot springs are popular picnic area for Omani and Indian families, and the place was pretty packed. OPNO enjoyed the drive there and kept exhausting Z on the winding drive there by pointing out one crumbling old house in thge center of a farm after another saying I will live there, or there over and over. Z finally stopped to ask a local woman about one of the crumbling houses, and apparently the family still uses it, but to house goats and cows. "What a waste!" was OPNO's typical response. The girls all enjoyed wading through water like bathwater, eating their mishcock and they were going to pay for a donkey ride (why, I don't know) but since it cost 1 rial per person, the girls gave up on that and decided to head back to MUscat to rent movies from Al Kuwhair.

How was THAT for an AWESOME weekend?