The Omani traditional costume

The kumma
The kumma is a kind of hat round shaped, adorned with embroidery patterns as diverse and varied. The aeration is optimized by holes. Nowadays, the Kumma which can be swollen, flattened or pinched is worn by young people.

The keffieh
The Omani turban is a kind of keffieh which Omani wear wrapped around their head. This male accessory is the official cap in the country. The Omani turban names « massar » or « mazar » is very varied. It can be found in white cotton, thin embrodered wool, in cashemer and also multicolored. The turban permits to distinguish the peasant from a rich contractor. A distinction of tribes and classes that can not be made as there are nearly 10 ways to wear the Omani turban.

When the Omani costume and Comorian dress become one
The traditional Omani costume and the Comorian one are very similar. To understand these similarities, it's necessary to go back to the colonial past of Oman, and more precisly between the 12th century and the 18th century. During this period, Omani where doing well commercially, and, as true explorers and great traders, they spawned multiple maritime tracks. Arab states of the Persian Gulf , India and the African east coast transited every kind of products. Oman became, at this time, more powerful than ever and directed Zanzibar from its capital, Muscate, which made Comorian and all surrounding populations emigrate toward Zanzibar. The line of maritims messages was inaugurated and Zanzibar saw a wave of Comorians settling its Island. A real mixting of people living on the Indian Ocean Islands was witnessed. Zanzibar became the crossroad between Africans, Arabs, and also Europeans, thanks to the commercial, religious and cultural exchanges. Nowadays, this legacy is still present, and visible through language, diversity of faces, but also traditional clothing. A qamis to be comfortable and a turban to protect one self from the sun… A traditional costume marked by comfort and simplicity that do not detract from the elegance of Omani.