SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE FOR WOMEN
05 Jul 2023 || MIDDLE EAST
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I was a little nervous about travelling to Saudi Arabia. Not for any of the usual (often incorrect) reasons people might be fearful of travelling to the vast Gulf nation. It was because it felt like such an unknown to be visiting there as a woman, specifically what the Saudi Arabia dress code meant in practice.
Reports of women only recently being allowed to drive, tourism being a reasonably new concept and stricter conservative rules than previous countries I’ve visited made me feel a bit on edge.
Having spent about four months in the Middle East, including extensive time in countries like Oman, a traditionally conservative nation, I should have been comfortable with the idea of travelling to Saudi Arabia. For some reason though, I felt an unease.
Saudi Arabia has been a nation heavily inaccessible to the wider world for so long. I was concerned that my appearance would attract unwanted attention and that any attempt to wear anything but a black abaya would draw negative looks, disapproval or criticism.
These quick thoughts are my take on the Saudi Arabia dress code as a woman, after my 8000-kilometre, one month road trip across the country in 2023.
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IN THIS GUIDE //
Saudi Arabia Dress Code
IS THERE AN ENFORCED SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE FOR WOMEN?
– WHAT IS ALLOWED?
RELIGIOUS POLICE IN SAUDI ARABIA
WHAT IS THE TRADITIONAL SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE?
– SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE REFORM
WHAT I WORE IN SAUDI ARABIA AS A WOMAN
– SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE FOR MEN
WHAT TO WEAR AROUND MOSQUES AND IN MADINAH
– WHAT IS HAYA?
WAS IT EVER UNCOMFORTABLE AS A WOMAN IN SAUDI ARABIA?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Is there an Enforced Saudi Arabia Dress Code for Women?
As of 2019, there is no specific Saudi Arabia dress code for women. Previously, women were expected to wear an abaya and head covering, enforced by the Saudi Commission of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV) – the religious police. Iran has been all over the news recently due to the horrendous behaviour of their morality police, so is this also an issue in conservative Saudi Arabia?
I’ll write a little more on the CPVPV below, but it’s important to note that, although they do technically still exist, they have few powers now and there are no specific rules about the Saudi Arabia dress code for women.
As with any conservative country, there are unofficial expectations on how women should dress. There are also some official (though vague) instructions on how to behave and what to wear as a tourist, called the Public Decorum Charter. This, plus other (relatively obvious) conservative expectations, make up the Saudi Arabia dress code list of rules:
♦ No clothing with profanity or anything with ‘photos, figures, signs or phrases violating common decency’.
♦ Nothing revealing, only modest clothing below the knee and elbow
♦ No nightwear or underwear in public
♦ No bikinis
♦ No tight, skin-hugging or see-through clothing
♦ No visible religious symbolic jewellery that is not Islamic
WHAT IS ALLOWED?
♦ Any kind of footwear – the Saudi Arabia dress code does not extend to feet! Don’t wear footwear in mosques though.
♦ Make-up – women often wear a lot of (really beautiful) make-up, especially arounds the eyes in Saudi Arabia. This is accepted, although I’d probably stay away from bright red lipstick and super bright colours.
♦ Patterns and coloured clothes – although traditionally women wear black, colours, decorations and patterns are becoming more popular, especially with younger women. Whether you wear an abaya or not, you do not need to wear black.
♦ Children’s clothing – not subject to a dress code, young children can dress however they want. Until early teenage years, girls can wear any kind of clothing. Customarily they start wearing an abaya, then a hijab follows. Some families start clothing children earlier in traditional dress.
RELIGIOUS POLICE IN SAUDI ARABIA
The Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (CPVPV), otherwise known as the Islamic morality or religious police, was established in Saudi Arabia in 1940. This organisation, still functioning today, was, in theory, to act as a spiritual guide for society and to enforce the moral code of Islam. The members were known as mutawa/mutaween (one who compels obedience). In 1976, the CPVPV developed into the controversial form of religious police known today, gaining increased power in government and a widening scope to include smaller towns across the country.
Their main duties were to police Islamic norms and immoral behaviour, by imposing the dress code for women in Saudi Arabia, enforcing prayer times and dividing gender-mixed socialising. These rules, in general, were implemented far more harshly on the women of Saudi Arabia.
Between 1960 and 1980, Saudi Arabia gradually saw the rise of the Sawha (awakening) movement, also named the Islamic Awakening movement. This pushed a ridged, puritanical form of Sunni Islam called Wahhabism. By 1979, after the Grand Mosque Seizure in Makkah, the CPVPV powers were almost unchecked. This led to the burning of books, the destruction of musical instruments, corporal punishment, attacks on beauty shops and more. Much of this was directed significantly more towards punishing women than men.
In more liberal circles, the CPVPV were viewed very unfavourably, but generally not fought. Criticism was rare, until a fire in a Makkah girls’ school in March 2002, where 15 schoolgirls died. This was allegedly due to the mutaweens preventing the students from leaving the building for not wearing proper attire.
Over the decade that followed, the powers of the CPVPV were gradually diminished, until 2016, when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman effectively removed their role in modern Saudi Society.
In the present day, the CPVPV still exists but does not have police-like powers, is unable to dish out penalties and can only report infractions to law-enforcement. Punishments for violations have been reduced, with fines replacing punishments like flogging.
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What is the traditional Saudi Arabia Dress Code for Women?
Although there is no legal Saudi Arabia dress code for women, most still follow the previous expectations and wear an abaya and head scarf, a niqab or, rarely, a full burka. It is unusual to see a woman’s face or hair outside of the home in Saudi Arabia.
For reference:
♦ An abaya is a kind of loose, full-body robe, covering the arms, all the way down to the feet. The abaya can be open at the front, buttoned or zipped up, or a full over-the-head dress. It covers all but the head, feet and hands. They come in all colours and can also be very decorative, but darker colours and black are the most common in Saudi Arabia.
♦ A hijab can refer to modest dress in general, or specifically a type of headscarf, normally square in shape that covers the head and neck.
♦ A niqab is a face covering that leaves a gap for the eyes. This was a very common item of clothing for women when I visited Saudi Arabia.
♦ A burka is a full face and body covering, usually including the eyes, sometimes with a mesh to see through.
In Saudi Arabia, the vast majority of women wore a black abaya with a black niqab. Some women wore a hijab and an abaya, and few adorned any colour but black. I didn’t see any women in western clothing. Much of the time, the women I saw wearing a hijab instead of a niqab were in modern malls in places like Riyadh and Jeddah.
This is not the case for young children, who would wear clothes typical of children in the West.
SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE REFORM
The long-term effect of the infamous Grand Mosque Seizure at Masjid al-Haram in Makkah in 1979 was the strengthening of Islamic conservatism, resulting in the implementation of compulsory abayas for all women, residents and visitors alike. By the late 1980s, women were even banned from using swimming pools.
During the 1980s and 90s, the religious police became more extreme, harshly enforcing attendance at prayer, gender segregation and the Saudi Arabia dress code, especially for women.
In 2015, when King Salman was throned, he decided that the black abaya was no longer mandatory; any colour and pattern was allowed.
Between 2017 and 2019, significant societal reform was enacted. This benefitted women who were previously unable to drive, attend sporting and entertainment events with men present, or gain a passport without male permission. In 2018, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman explicitly said that women did not need to wear an abaya or hijab in public in order to follow Islam. This permitted many women to choose what outer clothing they wore for the first time.
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What I wore in Saudi Arabia as a Woman
I did not wear an abaya, niqab or hijab while in Saudi Arabia, although I considered it.
It was a tricky thing to decide since I wanted to fit in and not be gawked at, but I also did not want to purchase an item of clothing I wouldn’t wear anywhere else. Plus, I’m an excessively warm person who doesn’t want to wear a long black dress in warm weather!
I chose to wear thick, black (very non-see-through) leggings, a flowy skirt that reached below the knee, a plain, loose black t-shirt that wasn’t low cut and a thin hoodie type jacket that covered my arms. For an entire month, I wore this exact outfit! I also carried a black scarf, often worn around my neck. Occasionally, I wore this scarf over my head in areas I felt to be a little more conservative.
When I arrived in Saudi Arabia I wore a headscarf until I felt comfortable enough to take it off, which was about a day into our trip.
Personally, I did feel stared at, but it was because I wore western clothing and I’m (very) white, not because my clothing was a concern to anyone. I felt like a curiosity, rather than an offence. Residents appeared to enjoy noticing us and would shout, wave and greet us kindly (sometimes from cars in precarious positions!). When I spoke to Saudi Arabian people (occasionally in depth) about clothing, it was suggested that I was dressed adequately for a female tourist in Saudi Arabia.
It’s interesting because although I wore western clothing for the entirety of my trip and was worried about seeming out of place, there were so many western clothing brands (like H&M) selling western outfits in the malls.
SAUDI ARABIA DRESS CODE FOR MEN
Just as conservative expectations are placed on women, similar, but less strict ones are also in place for men. Simply put: do not wear shorts, tight t-shirts, or sleeveless shirts.
Traditionally, in Saudi Arabia, men dress in a thobe (like a long smart, white shirt), or for more formal occasions, a ghutra (the traditional head cloth) or occasionally a kufi (a type of hat).
Nick wore reasonably loose, dark-coloured hiking trousers, a plain coloured t-shirt and a jumper for every day of our trip and didn’t feel he was being stared at (anymore than I did anyway!).
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WHAT TO WEAR IN MOSQUES AND AROUND MADINAH
There are specific rules when entering mosques anywhere in Saudi Arabia (and across the world) and visiting the holy city of Madinah.
For women visiting mosques in Saudi Arabia, always wear a headscarf and ensure your clothing is fulling covering your entire body. Better yet, wear an abaya.
Although you can technically walk around the holy city of Madinah dressed however you like, out of respect, at minimum cover your head with a headscarf as a woman. The best option, as a female tourist, would be a headscarf and abaya. If you visit anywhere in the vicinity of Al Masjid an Nabawi, you should definitely heed this advice.
I’m sure others will contest this opinion, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable visiting one of the most holy sites in Islam, as a non-Muslim, not dressed in a way that was respectful for worshippers there.
Also, remove your shoes before entering any mosque.
WHAT IS HAYA?
In Islam, Haya corresponds to ‘healthy shame’ or ‘sense of modesty’. It’s more than just a visual thing or a dress code and relates to all the feelings that could deter a person from behaving indecently. In the Qur’an and hadith passages, the values of Haya require that women cover themselves but is also used as a term for shyness and bashfulness.
Haya applies to both men and women, encouraging respectful behaviour and modest dress.
So, although you can wear what you want in Saudi Arabia now (within respectable reason), there is also the idea that you should present yourself well. It is more likely that you will be stared at negatively for being scruffy, unclean and unkempt than for wearing western clothing.
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WAS IT EVER UNCOMFORTABLE AS A WOMAN IN SAUDI ARABIA?
Truthfully, I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. Both Nick and I felt we got stared at a bit, but it’s because we looked different, not because we were in some sense offensive.
The only place I felt that people were unpleasant to me, as a woman, was in Al-Balad, the old town area of Jeddah. There was definitely an odd vibe there which I didn’t enjoy (around midday on a Friday, a holy day), where it was only men and I felt very unwelcome. However, I know other tourists have not experienced this and I really rate the area as a beautiful site in Saudi Arabia, so would still encourage any female traveller to visit. I didn’t feel unsafe, just uncomfortable.
Having spent several months in conservative Oman (far from the modern areas of Muscat) and many, many weeks in the Maldives local islands, Tunisia, the U.A.E. and Jordan, we were used to being stared at a bit for being different. It is not offensive and people were always welcoming and inquisitive. The same goes for Saudi Arabia too.
