Probably one of the most noticable things upon arriving in Bahrain, and in fact most middle eastern countries, is the style of dress worn by the local people.

There are two distinct types of women’s clothing in the region: one for locals, the other for expatriates. Outside the home, most Arab women dress according to religious custom, which means that they must cover most of the body, from head to foot. The traditional black overgarment (abaya) is ankle length with long sleeves and a high neckline, and the hair is covered with a scarf or Hijab. Some Arab women are totally covered, including their face and hands. There are many different styles of abayas, and they usually are paired with matching hijabs or headscarf. In addition to a hijab some women wear niqab which is a piece that covers the face, but not eyes. Some of the abayas are stunning to look at - beautifully embroidered around the sleeves and neckline.

The men wear a long white robe that in Oman is called a dishdasha. Headgear seems to vary with men in Bahrain mostly wearing a cloth head cover and the men in Oman wore a small fitting hat, often beautifully embroidered.

I was fascinated by the beautiful henna painted hands of the women.  One of the checkout operaters at the local supermarket had had her hands painted and it made the visit and the handing over of money that much more intetresting when I could watch the lovely patterns as she counted out the change!

Expats wear western clothes, there is no expectation for women to wear headscarves, but it is expected that women dress modestly.  And if entering a mosque traditional dress must be worn.

The mosques were beautiful inside and out. I think that my background as a patchworker and quilter has heightened my awareness of patterns we see around us and Oman and Bahrain had an abundance of islamic art in everyday life, especially in their buildings.

I went into two mosques, one in Bahrain where we were given appropriate clothing to wear, and one in Oman where we provided our own headscarf but were refused entry if we were not considered to be dressed appropriately. In both situations we were welcomed warmly and given a very informative tour of the building.