The Ghutra

What is a ghutra?

The ghutra is a square piece of white cloth folded into a triangle, placed on the head over a taqiyah (under-cap), and secured with the black egal. It is the most present piece of Gulf daily dress — worn to work, to majlis gatherings and to occasions — with its fabric and weight shifting between summer and winter.

The name changes by country. In the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, "ghutra" is the common word. In Saudi Arabia the red-patterned shemagh dominates daily wear, with the white ghutra favoured in summer and on formal occasions. In the Levant, the patterned headscarf is called a keffiyeh or hatta — similar in shape, different in use and symbolism.

Types of ghutra in the Gulf

Behind the familiar white ghutra sits a whole family of types, differing in fabric, borders and use:

• Safrah (plain): the unadorned white ghutra — the most widespread type and the near-daily formal choice for most men.
• Umm qalam: a ghutra framed by a printed rectangular border — black, brown or light green — distinctive yet still formal.
• Bu damah: a coarse cotton or linen ghutra in darker tones; practical and durable, historically tied to seafarers and working men.
• Shal and shal tirmah: the winter ghutra — heavier wool, larger than the standard ghutra, usually decorated in red, blue, green and brown. The tirmah, woven from fine animal hair, is its most luxurious form, sold as "full tirmah" or "half tirmah", with Afshar, Bulbul and Shahmina among the patterns known in the Qatari market.

Ghutra fabrics and quality grades

Ghutra quality comes down to four things: the cotton grade, the precision and evenness of the weave, the fabric weight, and the finishing on the edges. The higher the grade, the softer the hand-feel and the longer the white stays white through repeated washing.

The lightest summer ghutras are cut from sheer cotton voile, a fabric class that typically weighs around 60–80 g/m². "Mercerized" cotton is treated with an alkaline solution — a process devised by John Mercer in 1844 — strengthening the thread and improving dye uptake; Horace Lowe’s 1889 refinement of holding the yarn under tension produced its signature silky lustre.

• Hold the fabric to the light: a premium weave is even, with no knots or stray threads.
• Feel the edges: clean, straight stitching is the mark of careful manufacture.
• Ask how the fabric behaves after washing: Japanese and Swiss cottons hold their whiteness and body longest.

Ghutra sizes

The right size depends on your head circumference and your preferred fold: styles that drape over the shoulders need a larger cut than raised folds. Ashbiliya carries graduated sizes from children to men, and branch staff will help you match size to head measurement and fold. See our sizing guide or ask on WhatsApp.

Ghutras follow the same size ladder used across Gulf markets: from about 39 for children (95–100 cm tall) up to 62 for men over 180 cm, with adult sizes most commonly between 54 and 62. Head circumference is measured with a soft tape from the forehead, above the ears, to the back of the head.

The ghutra in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar

In the UAE the white ghutra is the default for daily and formal dress, worn with the Emirati kandura in folds from the simple everyday style to the falcon fold. In Qatar the white ghutra is worn in high, firmly set folds — often starched to hold their shape all day — and the winter shal has its own busy season when the weather cools: as merchant Muhammad Kamal told Qatar’s Al-Sharq newspaper, menswear shops see "continuous revival… from the large and growing demand for shal ghutras" (translated from Arabic).

In Saudi Arabia the picture splits between the red-patterned shemagh — the more common choice — and the white ghutra, which many prefer in summer and on formal occasions. If you are used to a premium white ghutra from any Gulf market, our range is chosen to match it.

How is the ghutra worn?

Fold the ghutra into an even triangle, place it over the taqiyah (or gahfiyah) — which anchors it and absorbs perspiration — then set the egal on top, balanced on both sides. Then comes the fold: simple with both ends hanging for daily wear, the falcon fold with one end raised, or the formal fold with two even ends on the chest. Our step-by-step folding guide covers each one.

Caring for your ghutra

Wash white ghutras separately at a moderate temperature to protect the weave. Iron while slightly damp for the best finish, and add starch in moderation if you want a firmer fold. Store folded, somewhere dry and away from direct sun so the white never yellows. More detail in our care and storage guide.

Why an Ashbiliya ghutra?

We have been a Gulf menswear house since 1970 — founded in Jeddah, in the UAE since 2000. We select our ghutras from trusted names alongside our own label — Ashbiliya (ISHBLIAH), Al-Sheikh, Claridge and ALBAIRQ — across 11 branches covering the UAE from Abu Dhabi to Ras Al Khaimah. Prices are shown in-store, and WhatsApp ordering with UAE-wide delivery is available.

As our founder Sheikh Awadh Thabit Alsaadi says: "The ghutra is not a piece of cloth — it is the first thing people see of a man's presence."