Wes at Home - Play - Buying a kandura in Dubaiubai

The kandura (khan-duh-ruh) is the flowing white robe you sometimes see men from the MIddle East wearing. The kandura is part of the national dress for men in Dubai, but can be seen in various forms throughout the region.

The kandura is known by many names depending on which country you're visiting. For example, foreigners may refer to it as a "dishdash". People from Egypt may call it a "thobe".

Worn on the head	gutra - the flowing cloth worn over the head. This is often white, but can also have fancy embroidery or a checkered pattern (think Yasar Arafat). The gutra is a square of fabric about 4 feet wide. You fold it once diagonally into a triangle, place it over your head (or kafiyeh), pull the two long ends down to equal lengths, then put the egal over it to hold it in place. This is surprisingly sturdy, even on blustery days. egal - the rope that holds the gutra to the wearer's head. This is almost always black. My egal has two long dangling ropes that hang down to my waist. kaffiyeh - this is the small cap worn under the gutra. You don't normally see the kaffiyeh, although you may see a bit of it sticking out from under the front of a gutra. This is basically the same as a Muslim prayer hat. Mine is white crocheted cotton with an intricate pattern. In the US, it's called a "kufi".
Worn on the body	kandura - a neck to ankle-length robe with sleeves, that buttons down the chest. Kanduras are measured by neck size and neck to ankle length. You put them on over your head, much like an anorak. *faneela* - a special undershirt beneath a kandura to soak up sweat and make the kandura look whiter. Mine is a modern variation, I think, and looks exactly like a regular white t-shirt, although the cotton is of finer quality. *woozar* - the "underwear" worn beneath a kandura. I've heard this described as a simple cloth, but mine look more like white boxer shorts or short pajamas made out of polyester.
Worn on the feet	*na-aal* - sandals. There are special sandals you can buy, but I chose not to. In retrospect, this was a big mistake, since wearing other shoes looks out of place (note: i normally wear cowboy boots).
Kandura options	As with a Western shirt, kanduras come in a variety of styles. You can choose the material, the color, the collar and sleeves, the pockets, etc. I bought two white kanduras: one collarless and one with a stiff upright collar (like a Nehru jacket). My collar-less kanduras has a long kerkusha, which is the long knotted tassel that hangs from the front of the kandura's collar. The sleeves are plain with no cuffs and the material is rather thick polyester is stiff like sail cloth. My collared kandura has no kerkusha, but it does have cuffs, a straight collar (like a Nehru jacket), a chest pocket, and is made from a much silkier polyester. The kandura I bought for my boyfriend is a very silky polyester with a sheen. I can't imagine wearing real silk in 110F degrees, especially given that a lot of Arabic mean are fairly hairy.

Shopping for a Kandura in Dubai

The concierge at the Emirate Tower Hotel where I was staying asked me if I wanted a tailored kandura or one off the rack. I said tailored, so she sent me to the Satwa district "where the Pakistani tailors are". She also said that a made-to-measure kandura would take 3-5 hours to make from scratch.

The Satwa district is about 2-3 miles from the Emirates Tower Hotel. It looks like any city street anywhere: the roads are narrow and full of cars, but I had the sidewalk to myself since it was 100+ degrees with a stiff, hot wind.

I wandered a bit to find the tailors, which is pretty simple since they're all clumped together. Find one clothing store and you've found all of them.

The first shop I went to was the Al Madani Group of Tailors. I stopped here mostly because I saw a man in a kandura leave the shop. I askedin English how long for a tailored kandura and they said "20 days," which I think may be safely translated as "forget about it, silly tourist."

They did have a limited selection of off-the-rack kanduras. There was one in my size with a nice long kerkusha, which I bought immediately.

When I said that I also wanted a kaffiyeh, gutra, and egal, they're interest went way up. Obviously, I'd done my homework.

They showed me how to put on the gutra. The egal took a few tries because I have a large head (around 7-5/8). I ended up with a nice one with long danglng ropes in the back tied with gold thread. I also bought one for Scott with silver threads. The kafiyeh was crocheted with a nice pattern.

The second tailor I tried wouldn't acknowledge my presense and shall therefore remain nameless. I literally just stood there for 15 minutes. He was busy talking to another customer in Farsi, so I decided to just enjoy the air-conditioning and watch. He was fitting two boys and the father was giving instructions on what he wanted. When my feet started hurting, I said "Salaam" to another man in the shop and asked if he spoke English. He didn't but the other man spoke a little. He just sent me away until after lunch ("After I eat."). I took the hint and went back to the hotel.

Later the same day, I took a taxi to the Dubai Mall. They pointed me to the Arabic Court, which is where I found a couple of shops selling kanduras.

I settled on Al Yashmac (Dubai Mall, Lower Level, corner of the Arabic Court). The salesmen were very friendly and spoke English. I bought a kandura for Scott with a kurkusha, another kandura for me with a collar, two faneelas (basically white cotton t-shirts you wear underneath (I'm assuming to stop sweat marks), and special underwar (basically white stretch-waist pants you also wear underneath).

While I'm sure they thought my interest was strange, I'm sure they've seen enough tourists to tolerate it.

Popularizing Kanduras in the US

This is my next big challenge. If you separate the costume from the politics, there are many hot, dry, windy regions of the United States where people would benefit from a kandura, including California's central valley.

Scott and I went to the California State Fair (Cal Expo) wearing our kanduras.

I wasn't sure what the reception would be, and didn't really care. Mostly people stared; a few people asked if we were hot in them, if they had a meaning, or if they could touch them. No one ignored us.

Are Kanduras comfortable?

Yes. In hot, muggy weather, they are especially nice since a) they're white and reflect the sun's rays, b) they let air flow around the body, and c) you can cross your legs without any restriction. Japanese hakama (the "skirt" worn by horsemen and samurai) are similarly open.