Syria, a land rich in history and culture, is home to a fascinating array of religious and ethnic groups, including Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, Armenians, Circassians, and Turkmen, each with unique cultural traditions. This vibrant diversity is beautifully reflected in Syrian clothing, making the topic both captivating and complex. As you’ll discover, there isn’t just one “Syrian way to dress”; styles vary significantly from city to city and region to region, with individual tribes and villages boasting their own distinctive patterns, designs, and colors.
So, how do the men and women of Syria traditionally express themselves through their attire?
Syrian Traditional Clothing in Eastern Syria:
Venturing into the cities of Deir ez-Zor, Palmyra, and Raqqah in Eastern Syria, you’ll likely encounter more Syrian traditional tribal style of dress.
- Syrian women’s clothing typically consists of long black garments known as abayas that gracefully cover them from shoulders to ankles. They also often wear a head and face cover, allowing only their eyes to peek through. Beneath these coverings, however, a woman might wear a traditional Arabian dress adorned with intricate beading or even the latest Syrian fashion inspired by the West.
- Syrian traditional male clothing often features long, flowing garments called kaftans. These are typically white during the summer months and crafted from darker colors and heavier fabrics to provide warmth in the winter. A distinctive three-piece head cover, the taqiyah (a white cap with holes to secure the hair), forms the base. Atop this sits the gutrah, a scarf-like head cover, usually white in the summer. In winter, men commonly wear a checkered red and white shmak. Both the gutrah and the shmak serve to shield the head from the sun and can be used to cover the mouth and nose during sandstorms. Completing this ensemble is the ogal, a rigid black circular cord that firmly holds everything in place.
Syrian Clothes in Other Regions:
As we move towards cities like Idlib and Aleppo, the clothing in Syria tends to be more modern, generally ranging from conservative to liberal styles. Idlib leans towards a more conservative approach, while Aleppo, with its significant Christian and Armenian populations, often sees residents embracing Western-style Syrian fashion.
Interestingly, other Syrian cities like Hama present a dichotomy. While its people are generally conservative, they often prefer modern Western attire. Syrian women clothing in Hama often includes bright colors, jewelry, makeup, and high heels, while men favor dressy slacks and shirts. However, casual Western wear like blue jeans and t-shirts, as well as shorts, miniskirts, and bare shoulders or upper arms for women, are less common.
Heading further west to the cities of Tartous and Latakia, you’ll find a wide spectrum of dress, from conservative to liberal. However, there’s a noticeable tendency towards more liberal traditional clothes in Syria in these coastal areas, with fewer restrictions on what do Syrians wear.
In north-eastern Syria, the Kurdish population has its own distinct Syrian culture clothing codes and generally adopts a more liberal style, reflecting their more relaxed religious ideologies.
Finally, Damascus, the vibrant capital and melting pot of Syria, showcases the full spectrum of the country’s cultures and traditions. Here, Syrian women clothing can range from the full black veils known as niqab to contemporary Western styles, highlighting the incredible diversity of Syrian dresses.
In Conclusion:
As a general observation, in urban centers, most Syrians tend to dress in Western or modern styles, while rural areas exhibit a wider range, from conservative, traditional Syrian clothing to more Westernized Syrian traditional clothes.
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