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Middle-Eastern men wearing Thawbs.

Iraqi-Irani man wearing Thawb in Nishapur.

A thawb or thobe (Arabic: ثَوب‎ / ALA-LC: thawb), dishdasha (دِشداشَة / dishdāshah), kandura (كَندورَة / kandūrah), or suriyah in Libya, is an ankle-length garment, usually with long sleeves, similar to a robe. It is commonly worn in Arab countries. An Izaar is commonly worn underneath.

Background[link]

The word thawb is the standard Arabic word for 'a garment'. It is the traditional Arab clothing for men. It is sometimes spelled thobe or thaub. It is a tunic, generally long. The word is used specifically for this garment in Arab states of the Persian Gulf. There has been some debate regarding the correct length of the thawb. Shorter length represents modesty, while longer represents royalty, status and wealth.

Prevalence[link]

The thawb is commonly worn by men in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Jordan, and other Arab countries. It is normally made of cotton, but heavier materials such as sheep's wool can also be used, especially in colder climates in Iraq and Syria. The style of the thawb varies slightly among the various regions within the Arab Gulf. The sleeves and the collar can be stiffened to give a more formal appearance. Other names may be used for this garment. In Souraqia and Oman, dishdasha is the most common word for the garment; in the UAE, the word kandura is used. In Morocco, the sleeves tend to be much shorter so that the thawb may seem more like a long T-shirt and is locally called gandora. Also the neck tends to be more open than in its Saudi counterpart and is often embroidered as is the breast pocket. Also it might lack buttons altogether.

The term thawb is also used to refer to similar women's garments. The traditional Palestinian woman's long tunic is called thawb. Another example is a very long, over-sized woman's garment with a heavily embroidered front panel and billowing back, also known as a Khaleeji dress, which is most commonly seen in the West worn for performance of the Saudi women's social-style dances, in which manipulation of the large thawb is a key component.

This clothing is called Kanzu in Swahili, and is commonly worn in East Africa as well.

Other Occasions[link]

A thawb or thaub can sometimes be worn with what is known as "besht" or in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula "عباة" which means a robe. It is usually worn in ceremonial occasions or by presidents; a "besht" ,"بشت" can be worn in a wedding, Eid, and funerals. It refers to a status of wealth and royalty, or sometimes a religious position. It was originally manufactured in Syria, Iraq and Jordan, and it is usually worn in Jordan, Syria, Iraq and the Arabian peninsula.

See also[link]

• Agal - Arabian headdress
• Islam and clothing
• List of types of sartorial hijab
• Jellabiya
• Senegalese kaftan
• Shalwar Kameez

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2011)

Ilham al-Madfai (Arabic: إلهام المدفعي‎) (born c. 1942) is an Iraqi guitarist, singer and composer. al-Madfai's synthesis of Western guitar stylings with traditional Iraqi music has made him a revered and popular artist in his native country and throughout the Middle East. Beginning in 1999, al-Madfai released a string of albums on EMI's Arabia label, including the platinum self-titled Ilham al-Madfai (1999), Live at the Hard Rock Cafe (2001), Baghdad (2003) and The Voice of Iraq: The Best of Ilham al-Madfai (2005) and Dishdasha (2009). He has been nicknamed 'the Baghdad Beatle'.

History[link]

Al-Madfai began studying guitar at age twelve. He formed The Twisters in 1961, Iraq's first rock and roll band.^[2] Following a three year sojourn in Kuwait with the group, al-Madfai moved to England to complete an engineering degree. While in London, he became a regular at the Baghdad Cafe, where he met fellow musicians Paul McCartney, Donovan and Georgie Fame.^[2] Returning to Baghdad in 1967, he began to mix Western and Eastern instrumentation and rhythms. Al-Madfai developed a major following in Iraq in the 1970s, but Saddam Hussein's rise to power in 1979 compelled the artist to leave and take construction jobs around the Gulf for much of the following decade.

Al-Madfai returned to Iraq shortly before the First Gulf War and was subsequently banned from leaving the country. He emigrated to Jordan in 1994, where he presently resides. Al-Madfai was granted Jordanian citizenship from King Hussein, for exceptional talents and achievement. On 9 August 2010 he was the featured artist in a late-night prom at the Royal Albert Hall in London.^[3]

Selected discography[link]

• The Best Of - Virgin, 2005^[4]

References[link]

1. ^ Ilham al-Madfai: Triumph of the Baghdad Beatle, The Independent (16 July 2003).
2. ^ ^{a b} Robin Denselow, Straight Outta Baghdad, The Guardian (11 June 2004).
3. ^ "Prom 33: BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy", What's On / Proms by Day 9 August 2010, BBC Proms
4. ^ 72435603442 no lyrics

External links[link]

• Official website