Yashmagh

Qatari men, like most men in the Arab world wear head gear known as yashmagh. It consists in Qatar of three pieces the names of the individual pieces I am unsure of. There is a skull cap which is then covered by a large sheet or towel. This is held in place by two circular bands. Some of the bands have long tails hanging down the back. Qatari men wear a red and white sheet or just a plain white. We were unsure of the meaning of the different variations so I asked a colleague of mine to explain. It was quite simple in the end. The red and white sheet is the winter sheet. It is made of cotton and so is slightly heavier. The white sheet is a much lighter material and being white reflects the sun better, making it cooler in warmer temperatures. The tails are just degrees of formality and to some extent personal preference. Men wear their yashmagh with pride and take care to keep it looking tidy. It was interesting last week when the temperature suddenly jumped from high 20s to high 30s there was an almost overnight transformation of the group I am associated with from red and white to white.