Many of you have seen women walking around in some inner parts of Oman wearing these very colorful dresses. From the picture below, the three women there are wearing what we call “wael, sweesri, or landani” I have no idea why they got these names, but that’s how we identify them.
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These are mostly worn in the inner parts of Oman and some “lower-to-middle class” areas in Muscat. Well, one thing about these dresses is that they are very popular with female teachers. Almost all teachers in the inner parts of Oman (some in Muscat too) wear them. If you go to the fabric store, you would find some.. just ask for a “wael” or “wayel”..
There are usually many designs, sometimes of different colors. The fabric is very light and sometimes transparent. So you can imagine the kind of torture a woman goes through to make it less see through. Once you get the fabric (5m I think), you chose the kind of lining you want. Some women use regular cotton while others prefer silk.
You take the fabric to your regular tailor and he does the needful, which is making the dress and the long scarf. Some women like to add their own touch, so they take it to local girls that do some bead work for about R.O. 8. Not bad if you wanna look hip at school!
Also, the thing with this fabric is that new designs come in every week. However, this does not mean they become out of style that fast! maybe after a year or two.
Anyway, I love this kind.. I even used to make some and take them to the US with me (only wore them at home though). I know some girls (many) that think this is “un-hip” and “backwards”, but I think they are the coolest thing ever. Wearing a traditional Omani dress is another option (I need to explore that more often), but this is great for wearing something nice and looking modest at my grandparents house with minimum effort. I hate the other kind of dresses that are full of bead work where you can ONLY have them dry cleaned!
I prefer these… wash, dry, wear! that simple! and the patterns are just cute! I also refuse to wear an abaya at my village when I put them on! another bliss!
السلام عليكم
I found your blog while doing a research about female circumcision. And I had no idea that was practiced in Oman.
I read some topics and I really like your blog.
On the subject, I even liked the clothes.
Well…sorry my english…I hope you understand
greetings from Portugal
Great, hope you found my article helpful in circumcision. If you decided to add Oman in your research, you can email me for Q’s. I would be more than happy to help!
Glad to hear my blog reached Portugal!
They are beautiful! I love them. Shame women in Muscat don’t wear them much.
Women in Muscat don’t wear them cause they are not considered classy or classic..!
Dear Reality,
I am a German who travelled quite a bit in Oman recently. My husband and I fell in love with Oman’s natural beauty.
As a tourist, however, (and not being able to speak Arabic) you do not get all that much chances to interact with Omani women. Your blog is very helpful therefore to fill in many gaps. Thank you and keep it up!
I would like to contribute some observations – obviously seen entirely through the eyes of a westerner – on womens‘ dresses. Maybe you could comment.
When people at home ask me about how Omani women look like, I tell them I can discern roughly these different types of dresses:
- In the Dhofar countryside they wear colourfully printed dresses, called something like “thob”. I was actually given one as a present and I wore it during a desert trip. It seems to be a good choice in hot weather since the cloth is very thin and airy. It actually seems to be a sport for local ladies on coming into contact with western ladies to have them dress up in one of their thobs and check out what happens
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- The thob seems to be very similar to the wael you are writing about.
- In the Sharqiyah many ladies dress in colorful pants, intricately embroidered, with a long dress over it and a big scarf. When I first saw such a dress in Muttrah souq I thought it was from India. These dresses are very beautiful but I could understand if ladies from the city would consider it rather traditional and rural.
- In Nizwa I saw women in colorful dresses which were barely hidden by a see-through black overdress. Many of them were wearing this particular mask (burqa?). I think the masks look quite interesting and apparently they come in many forms and sizes indicating particular tribes (?). I have seen them in Dhofar, as well. To the western eyes they look a bit martial. My mother somehow cannot stand the sight of them, makes her shiver.
- All the ladies in the cities, and particularly girls, seem to wear the abaya, the black headscarf, and very many have their faces covered with a black veil (niqab?), as well. Now, for us westerners it is very hard to understand why women would wear these things, if they apparently have some other possibilities to choose from. Why do women in the city tend to veil their face more so than women in the countryside? As we are talking about one and the same islamic country, religion does not seem to be the reason. A face veil seems something rather cumbersome, particularly for a city life, so why are they so popular? (For us, not being able to speak Arabic it is extra difficult communicating with a lady with a face veil, let´s say in a shop. You cannot tell if she is friendly or angry or whatever..)
And also the overlong abaya always in danger of being stepped upon. The black colour which is the most unpleasant choice in sunny and hot climate…
In one of your posts you say it is about fashion. Now, that is confusing, too. Ok, there might be little fashion details but as a whole, these dresses de-individualize women, and isn´t fashion all about individuality?
When I’m out interacting with people (in the shops, hospitals etc) I often get asked my nationality. You see I’m Russian with blue eyes and pale skin, I wear black abaya and cover my face (I live in the Emirates). I can totally understand why people want to know who’s this crazy white woman dressing that way.
Although I’m not an Arab from the Gulf I can answer your questions from my perspective and maybe it’ll be true for some of the Gulf women too.
The main reason I cover the face is personal shyness. I’ve always been shy, I disliked that strange men (young, old, married, sexually frustrated, homeless or drunk) could stare at me and I was helpless about it. When I lived in Europe I already thought it’d be great to wear niqab one day
Since I’m a foreigner in this country – my face gives away I’m Russian, I’m still young and may seem attractive to many Arab, Indian etc men. Both men and women would stare at me out of curiosity here. There’s a big population of single men in the UAE, light skin women are considered attractive by many men. That’s why I don’t want to walk around with my “pretty Russian” face. Covering my face helps me avoid harassment 
People treat me with respect and distance themselves which I enjoy. It gives me more room and privacy. I feel I have more private space this way.
Another reason for wearing niqab is respect I have for other married women and their husbands. I can imagine how it could feel to catch your husband gaze at some strange nice looking woman even if only for a moment. By covering myself- I protect other women’s husbands. I respect them enough not to tempt and attract.
So what a black abaya and headscarf de-individualize women. They de-individualize them in a very much same way as majority of women in the west are dressed in same jeans and t-shirts. All men in the West wear pants and shirts and most working women wear similar elegant work suits, does it mean they are de-individualized. Most khaleeji men wear a white thob (kondura, dishdasha) does it make them de-individualized. Black abayas are beautiful and are loved by many women who wear them. Many women choose to cover their faces and love it too. I often smile and make funny faces under my niqab by the way:)
Clothes of black color is practical and loved all over the world (couturiers use it in their fashion collectioins, classic evening gowns, work suits) . I was shocked to see back in Russia last winter that majority of young women were dressed in black from head to toe- black trousers, coats, shoes, scarves, skirts. Black is fashionable.
Hope it helps some people to understand.
I’ve always wondered about those clothes and why some women wear them and some don’t. thank you for clearing it up at least marginally.