Arab culture

Arab culture refers to the culture in the countries in which the official language is Arabic (although the Arabic language in some of them is the language of minority), and the west officials and scholars used to call them "Arab countries" of West Asia and North Africa, from Morocco to the Arabian Sea. Language, literature, gastronomy, art, architecture, music, spirituality, philosophy, mysticism (etc.) are all part of the cultural heritage of the pan-Arab world.

Men

Arab dress for men ranges from the traditional flowing robes to blue jeans, T-shirts and western business suits. The robes allow for maximum circulation of air around the body to help keep it cool, and the head dress provides protection from the sun. At times, Arabs mix the traditional garb with Western clothes.

Headdress The male headdress is also known as Keffiyeh. Headdress pattern might be an indicator of which tribe, clan, or family the wearer comes from. However, this is not always the case. While in one village, a tribe or clan might have a unique headdress, in the next town over an unrelated tribe or clan might wear the same headdress.

• Checkered headdresses relate to type and government and participation in the Hajj, or a pilgrimage to Mecca.
• Red and white checkered headdress – Generally of Jordanian origin. Wearer has made Hajj and comes from a country with a Monarch.
• Black and white checkered headdress – The pattern is historically of Palestinian origin.
• Black and grey represent Presidential rule and completion of the Hajj.
• Shi’a- black turbans associated with Shi’a clergy who are somehow connected to the Prophet Muhammed or Ali Ibn Abi Talib the cousin of the Prophet who was the 4th Khalif of Islam, and whom they claim was the leader of the Shi’a sect.
• Those who wear white turbans are associated with the lower echelons of the Shi’a hierarchy.

Women

Adherence to traditional dress varies across Arab societies. Saudi Arabia is more traditional, while Egypt is less so. Traditional Arab dress features the full length body cover (abaya, jilbāb, or chador) and veil (hijab). Women are required to wear abayas in only Saudi Arabia. In most countries, like Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Jordan, Syria and Egypt, the veil is not mandatory. It is clear that religiously speaking the mention of the bur'qa doesn't exist for Muslims women and today represents more a politic position than a religious interpretation... About the veil, nowadays, some religious think that hijab is not obligatory while others think that it is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_culture