Thawb, Local Costume of Men of Arabs in South of Iran
One of the ways to identify people is to look at their clothes and what they have put on.
This rule is not an exception for Arab people, especially those, living in Khuzestan and southern provinces of Iran and countries located near Persian Gulf.
The Root of the Word “Thawb”
Thawb is a word coined from Arabic language into English.
The word is an equivalent for the word “ثوب” in Arabic which means a kind of cloth from neck to the foots.
The Importance of This Cloth
Due to the warm and also dry weather of mentioned locations, local people prefer to put on a kind of cloth to keep them cool.
So, as you can see in the provided picture, when a person wears Thawb, he/she feels comfortable because of the circulation of wind.
The Color of Thawb
Most of the Arabs living in the countries close to Persian Gulf, wear white thawbs, while those who live in southern provinces of Iran (especially Khuzestan) and Iraq or Syria, wear thawb in dark colors, such as black, grey, etc.
What Thawb Is Made of?
As myDorna explained, people living in hot and warm weather, need to feel comfortable in their clothes; therefore, the materials used to make this cloth should be comfortable, too.
The wool of camel, sheep, cow and also cotton, are the things used to make and sew a thawb.
How Much Fabric for Thawb is Needed?
According to information gathered by myDorna, the tailors suggest to buy at least 2 meters’ fabrics (for typical people not the overweights).