 Is this guy an Arab? You'd think so if you looked superficially at what you were seeing. He definitely isn't one. There are many telltale signs that contradict your first impression. Hence, that without a belonging to the culture would be unknowingly dismissed. Unfortunately, the media haven't really helped in revealing the true essence of how Arab men, and more specifically, Arabian Gulf national male dress, is actually adorned. The numerous times that sheikhs or Arab antagonists in some action movie or political thriller series have been misrepresented by a very lazy attempt to reflect a Middle Eastern identity is very common. And so, let's take an opportunity to explain how this national dress that has developed over so many centuries has led to a very intricate expression that is more informative and telling than you can imagine. First, let's clarify that the term national dress used is intentional. Others would want to define such attire as a national costume, but this term wouldn't be applicable for our discussion because in the Arabian Gulf, more than anywhere else in the Middle East, these outfits are worn daily and not an outfit that is only proudly dawned on special occasion. The elements that make up the national male dress are as follows. Depending on which country you're in, the long robe is called a thaw, and is the main individually tailored item of clothing that covers the body from neck down to toe with sleeves reaching the wrists. The next element is the gafia, a tight fitting cap made of woven cotton that is rarely seen, as it is generally hidden under the next main item, the pitra, or headscarf. A square fabric folded in half as a triangle and placed accurately covering the head just above the face. The pitra comes in various sizes to accommodate the various people in terms of heights and breadth. The pitra can also be adorned in many different styles from the very casual to the very formal. The agal, the weighted black woven woolen tubular rope that is folded into two to achieve a double loop shape, is placed gently on top of the pitra to secure its position. The agal also comes in many variations in diameters, thicknesses, and textures. The final element is the bishd, a looser semi-transparent robe worn above the toe that is made of camel hair and goat's wool that is decorated with gold-thread ornamentation around the collar area. This garment is reserved for more formal occasions such as official government business or social events. All Arabian country national dress is more or less composed of these five elements. Yet there are many iterations and intricacies for each element that makes an attire easily identifiable as one belonging to one gulf nation or another. The saudi though is almost always made of a white fabric, year round and has a more fitted look to it. The saudi though's sure color used to be a mainstay of the garment but is now slowly fading away. The headdress is generally the white and red patterned shmalk, a thicker version of a pitra. And lastly, Saudi men typically have cuffs at the end of their sleeves. Kuwait shdashas have a casual fit that is neither slim nor loose. The main identifier of Kuwaiti's robe is through their collar, a band collar with either one or two exposed buttons. Kuwaitis also have a right chest pocket and tend to introduce many more seasonal variants of the fabric fused for their djdashas. Certain styles of wearing the qatra can easily identify Kuwaitis from other gulf nationals. Bahrainis are very similar in their national dress when compared to Kuwaitis and in fact these two nations are closest cultural traditionally. Consequently, telling them apart is the most difficult. Two main elements distinctly represent the qatari nationals, the agal and the thoob. Starting with the agal, it is the only nation that has kept a long black tassel at the rear working as a counterbalance to its forward tilt. The other main element to the qatari variation is the strong collar of the thoob that is a very firm and hard look about it, very similar to a western classic shirt collar. The Emirati nationals have the largest range of national dress with a colorless kandura, the robe, as well as a decorative braided tassel that hangs off the collar. The kandura is typically loosely fitted and can also have lighter color variants throughout the season. In addition, UAE nationals also wear their qatra as a amama when the fabric is wrapped numerous times around the circumference of the head. Finally, Aman, where there is no qatra nor it's accompanying agal worn as head dress. The qatra is actually used on occasion as a belt that carries a ceremonial dagger. The local thoob is very similar to that of the Emiratis. The main difference is that the local headdress comes in two variations. The amama, same as the one worn in the UAE and second, an item of headwear called akumar, a mid height decorative cap. When seeing things that seem so similar from a certain context or position, one can miss a tremendous amount of information for Gulf eras. Although dressed in more or less the same elements of kutur, they can tell the difference of nationality from the first glance. In some cases, they can even tell from what regional part of a nation wears of national dress originate from. Richness of culture comes from the subtleties, from appreciating the nuances between one people and another. And for the Arabian Gulf men, how they dress, although on the surface and to the uneducated and unexposed appears identical has a protection of information that is undeniable. A diverse range of personal expression that is beautiful and a collective belonging that is prideful.