Ghutra Types: From the Safrah to Umm Dama
Behind the white ghutra is a whole family: the plain safrah is the formal choice worn by the largest share of men; umm qalam with its printed border is favoured by the young; the coarse boudama was the dress of workers and seafarers; and the square-patterned umm dama made its name in eastern Arabia. Each type has its cloth and its place — detailed here from a craft we have known since 1970.
The safrah: the formal original
The white ghutra free of any additions — hence "plain" — and the closest of the family to formal wear, worn by the largest share of Gulf men. It serves daily, office and occasion wear alike; its quality is read in the purity of the white, the evenness of the weave and the precision of the edges.
Umm qalam: a border like a pen line
A ghutra framed by a rectangular printed border in a single colour — black, brown or light green — resembling a pen stroke, which gave it its name. Its main wearers are the young: a quiet touch of distinction that keeps the ghutra formal.
Boudama: the ghutra of work and sea
A coarse ghutra of heavy cotton or linen in darker tones — historically the dress of porters, labourers and fishermen for its durability and low cost. Today it appears more as a practical heritage piece than daily wear.
Umm dama: the squares of eastern Arabia
A ghutra with square-patterned lines, mostly in yellow or brown, documented by Al-Jazirah newspaper among the folk names and famous especially in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province — historically imported from India. Its name sits close to "boudama" but they are different types: umm dama is the patterned one, boudama the coarse dark one.
Historic types: the shalki and the merikan
Folk memory keeps types now rarely traded: the woollen "shalki", among the finest once worn, and the "merikan", a thick white cloth common before modern fabric variety. Al-Jazirah records that ghutras were once plain white cloth cut square and hand-dyed with straight yellow lines using safflower — before the ghutra became an industry of its own.
And the winter shal?
The shal and shal tirmah are the winter branch of the ghutra family — heavy wool with coloured decoration — covered in a full guide of their own among our guides: full and half tirmah, the Afshar, Bulbul and Shahmina patterns, and the Qatari season.
Which type suits you?
- Work and occasions: the plain safrah in a fabric grade to match the setting.
- A younger touch: umm qalam with a quiet border.
- Heritage and collecting: boudama, umm dama and the historic types.
- Winter cold: the shal and shal tirmah.
Sources & references
Related questions
What is a safrah ghutra?
The plain white ghutra with no additions — the most formal and widespread, worn by the largest share of Gulf men.
Why is umm qalam so named?
Because its rectangular printed border resembles a pen line around its four sides; it is favoured by younger wearers.
What is the difference between boudama and umm dama?
Boudama is a coarse, dark, heavy-cotton ghutra once worn by workers and seafarers; umm dama is a square-patterned ghutra in yellows and browns, famous in eastern Arabia and historically imported from India.
What is the shalki?
An old woollen type remembered among the finest ghutras, documented by Al-Jazirah newspaper among the heritage names.
How were ghutras made in the past?
White cloth cut into a square and hand-dyed with straight yellow lines using safflower — before the ghutra became a textile industry of its own.