One time, when I was working at an arcade, a Saudi man came in and began dumping hundreds of quid into our fruit machines. A little while later, he came to the token shop to buy stuff and I asked him, as I usually do when a foreigner walks in "Where are you from?" And he tells me he's from Saudi Arabia. So I got curious and I tentatively asked him "Do the people in Saudi Arabia actually wear those red and white head wrap things?" as I did not know what it was called. To begin with, he was confused and thought I was referring to the Hijab and he told me that "Some people still do, if they're fairly conservative." but I pressed him and explained in a bit more detail what I was referring to. I saw a light bulb go up over his head and he goes "Oh! Those things. Yeah those are basically the Arab equivalent of the suit and tie, Arabs wear it for formal occasions and the like."
Typical Western , trying to figure out what’s going on by reading folk lore and fictional stories, he could have just interviewed an arab and got better information
@@tomh2572 What's funny is that T-shirts were originally part of the US Navy Uniform in WW2. They became popular with veterans because of their comfort, breath-ability, and ease of donning/doffing.
The city of Kufa was made capital of Iraq during the Islamic period. This caused most people at the time to refer to the entirety of southern Iraq as Kufa. Because the scarf originated in southern Iraq, it was referred to as Kiffeyah.
@Pouty MacPotatohead in Arabic language eyah is added at the end of feminine adjectives..... Kufa is Feminine city name.... Kuf-eyah means it's a kufic-from kufa
@Pouty MacPotatohead u in kuffah can be pretty much silent the transition of kuffah (city) to kiffiyah (from kuffah) is similar to that of (child) (children) (wolf) (wolves) in English
If you’re a desert hiker/camper, one trick I’ve used for years is to soak the keffiyeh in water then tie it around your head however you wish. But especially getting it on your neck. That water on your skin then evaporating off in the heat feels amazing and is a good way to stave off 100+ degree heat.
I had a red Kafiya. We were allowed to wear them for like 2 weeks in 2004. They worked and gave a little bit of cool factor to your uniform and gear. We said it was to appear in unison with the Arabs, but we really just wore it because the guys on the cover of Soldier of Fortune were wearing them.
I wore one that was black & white given to me by my Iraqi troops in 2004 until we went back to the States in Oct 2005. It went back to Iraq with me and was worn in 2009-2010...
@@aaronsanborn4291 we we’re told to put them away. We had an issue where our scout platoon caught a patrol from our second platoon running around with no tops, Yankees hats, oakleys. No helmets. Well since we lived in the city we could get away with this. The scout PL used to be in our company and took a pic and gave to him at the next briefing we’ll somehow our SGM saw them. Next day SGM forms a patrol to look for a patrol. Well they found one of our 3rd platoon patrols. Guys were out no helmets, no tops, SL was carrying a shotgun, it was a shit show. So we were ordered that the only civilian equipment we could have was sunglasses underwear and chest rigs because we hadn’t gotten RFI yet.
This history is complete b.d. these scarfs where worn by Bedouin yes they where nomads but the didnt come from the Mesopotamia yes scarfs where worn by different tribes but these are bedouin
I'm a blonde haired, blue eyed white dude, and I've been called all sorts of ethnic slurs associated with middle eastern and Muslim people because early on in the pandemic, I didn't own any decent purpose-made protective masks, just a shemagh that I bought for desert camping trips, but of course I was required to wear some sort of face covering in public, so I wore what I had. I have other, better masks now and I wear those instead. I wish there wasn't this social stigma though. Shemaghs can be very utilitarian in certain situations.
Shemaghs are quite nice. I have a couple i use here and there. But the ignorant morons you run into on occasion do prevent me from using them in public. People and their tribalistic tenancies sure are funny, aren't they?
Dont worry about those people. They would be assholes regardless of the pandemic. Im a hispanic dude and i wear mine when i go fishing to protect my neck and face
I have had a red one and a black one for many years. A couple years ago I bought a golden one through a group of Iraqi/Afghani war veterans who sell them to raise money to run education programs in Afghanistan. I typically wear them in the winter as scarves. I have never had anyone say anything one way or another about any of them when I did.
I am a Palestinian Arab, but I am fala7i (farmer, rather than bedouin or city dweller) and we wear this as well, but we wear white or black and white. Another word for the kuffiyeh is also the hatta, and the igal is the black woven part that holds on the hatta. I recently moved to the USA and I wear my hatta since it is an important symbol to us, but I am surprised to see many Americans wearing different colored kuffiyehs, I dont know if they know the actual meaning behind wearing these kuffiyehs. Palestinian militants and fedayeen, the PLO, yasir arafat all wore black and white kuffiyehs, so it is a very important symbol to us and a sign of our patriotism and struggle against oppression. You did a pretty good job explaining things here, today the red and white kuffiyeh is specific to saudi arabia and jordan, black and white is for palestine and iraq, white is emirates and qatar and kuwait.
As someone from Western Europe (might be similar with other places in "the West") I would not know its exact meaning without actively seeking out the information. And while the video does a good job it cannot show (beyond hinting) the emotions attached by people with a tradition of wearing the cloth. So, no most people are only slightly aware at best.
I've been obsessed with historical hats recently. You'd be suprised almost every hat has a facinating history and symbology behind it. Personally I love the ffa kepi, Borsalino, turban phrgyian cap ect ect. Really cool stuff!
Funnily, we were wearing them in Iraq in 03-04' because of its functional purpose. The portion on the head is folded into multiple layers, if you wet it it will keep you comparatively cool for several hours. The "hanging" fold in the front is a single layer and if you pull one edge of it up, and tuck it in the cord it covers the face completely. The weave is tight enough to keep out the granules in a sand storm, but loose and thin enough to see through.
Do you condone your country’s decision and believe you should have been in Iraq? I’m just curious. War is complex and there are two sides to every story. But I’d like to hear a soldier out.
I bought a brown keffiyeh from hirbawi three years ago, I hope they're doing well, they include a thank you note and everything when you buy one, worth the price, they have the best designs really I find the mass produced ones to be cheap and tacky.
I had a Chinese one that ripped somehow after wearing it 4 or 5 times. I gave that one away and bought 3 from hirbawi in different colors and the material is so much better
The Hirbawi kufiyas are still great, just got me a new one with lighter colors for spring/summertime. A little bit larger and much nicer than the commonly found low budget shemagh.
I'm the great grandson of Glubb Pasha, I rarely see any videos about him and I just want 2 say how happy I was 2 see this video and what a great job you did! I'm a long time viewer of your videos and this has quickly become my favourite video :) The Keffiyeh has always been very important to our family (especially the red and white), and Jordan always has a special place in our hearts, so thank you for this amazing job!
@@harrybuller8985 Intersting. I had an African History professor who was a direct descendant of Livingston. It's kind of neat to have even a tangental link to history.
I was given one that was black & white by my Iraqi troops in 2004, I wore it on missions the rest of 2004-2005 & again in 2009-2010 during my 2nd tour in Iraq.
@@arx3516 it’s actually a lot cooler to wear light colored clothing to keep the sun off of you, than being even naked but burning alive in a 130 degree afternoon sun
I found a beautiful old red/white keffiyeh with emboidered patterns in a vintage linens shop. It was labeled as a Tablecloth! It was my duty to rescue it from this unfortunate fate. I treasure it, but don't wear it as the cotton is very fine & don't want to damage it.
Ah yes, my favourite piece of cloth! I grew up not being used to wear hats, but one could say that I fell in love with the keffiyeh at first sight. The problem is even my parents would often tease me when I'm wearing mine. I'm living in the Philippines btw, and I do often get teased by wearing my keffiyeh. Most people here prefer wearing baseball caps, but like I said earlier, hats (especially baseball caps) aren't really my thing cuz keffiyehs and similar headgear are better (in my personal experience.).
I need a giant history book compilation called International hat history. In Denmark we call the Keffiyeh a PLO scarf. It was a very popular scarf for a period, now it is more or less replaced by insanely long grey woolen scarfs that will strangle you if it get caught in your bike wheel or chain.
"... will strangle you if you get it caught in your bicycle wheel or chain" is the most Danish thing I've heard in a long time. Not something Americans outside the biggest cities worry about. The majority of Americans consider cycling a form of exercise/sport/hobby activity. Sadly, most Americans living outside of the biggest cities would see cycling (as a form of transportation) as either a political statement about the environment or protesting oil companies - or as a sign of being a 'loser' who can't afford a car. I'm jealous of European bicycle infrastructure and the acceptance of biking to work as a normal adult mode of transportation instead of a leisure activity or a sign of poverty!
@@TheRepublicOfJohn When i was a kid, the director of our local bank chain would zip by me every morning on his 18 mile ride to work, no matter the weather. Last place i worked, people who cycled to work, were offered acces to locker and shower facilities and we could spend the yearly uniform budget on cycling and running clothes as weel as company bicycle helmets and bike lanterns. the company track suits where a smash hit.
I remember being gifted one of these from a Palestinian way back in high school and absolutely fell in love with them, wasn't till years later I learned more about them being more than just cool fashion. Flash forward more than 15 years, and am still wearing them.
Red keffiyeh always make me remember good old times where we studying quran in a local mosque, there's one kind old imam that always wear red keffiyeh in his neck. Well we're not in the arab/middle east tho
I love the style of the keffiyeh or the shemagh. Very tacticool but also fashionable, I particularly like it in the green, brown, tan colours. Very informative video. Well done.
18:00 Regarding the sudra, Yemenite Jewish men historically wore it on the head after marriage as a sign of modesty. This practice was later stopped after Arab countries banned Jews from wearing Arab clothing (sudra/keffiyeh, thobe, etc.).
Ahh thank you for this information, I wondered if thobes were ever worn by Jewish men! In my opinion Arab countries should not have banned Jews from wearing them .
In portuguese we have a item of clothing called a "xaile" from the Shawl. a piece of clothing used around the head and shoulders by women, the piece of clothing probably existed before we brought the word from Arabia/East
Didn't expect you to make a video about the Shemagh/Keffiyah. Also good job on researching the topic, you managed to teach an arab something new about his own culture haha.
I primarily wore a tan with red-brown checkering when I was deployed to Kuwait. One night, one of the Third Country Nationals that worked as a truck driver (his nickname we used for him was Wolverine) cheered me on. I can only assume it was because of that shemagh. That was in 2010. Last year, I was finally able to purchase two kuffiyeh from Hirbawi. The quality is leaps and bounds better than the coalition shemagh I had worn, and superior to the kuffiyeh I had bought in Kuwait. The two I bought were the traditional black on white net, and the color palette inspired by Bethlehem, the latter being a Christmas gift for my mother.
Varusteleka has 2 versions, one 100% wool and one wool-silk that I can not recommend enough. I wear the 100% wool one as neck scarf when fat biking and its great. I would recommend the Hebron Arts (Hirbawi) keffiyeh also, they are high quality and supporting the people that actually, you know, have been making these for generations vs. some factory setup in China to churn them out pennies on the dollar.
One interesting point of note about the history of the Keffiyeh is that it's speculated that the torses and mantling worn by crusaders in the middle east were based on Keffiyehs or other local headwear and used to keep the sun off of their metal helmets, and forms of this are still seen in modern heraldry, although artistic license has made it much more common to see flowing, torn ribbons from the back of helmets on coats of arms than actual whole rectangles of cloth.
This is an outstanding video. It held my attention for the full 22 minutes and had information I didn't know. I think it's one of the best I've seen in the past year.
There is a new scarf that gained popularity in both Syria and Iraq, it's called the "Embroidered shemagh", it was made popular because of it's use by Al-nusra and ISIS in the region, most of the time it's black with brown or golden motifs, or just completely black. I think its origins are from Yemen. I have seen people refer to it as "Kashmiri" but i don't know if it has connection to Kashmir.
Thank you for another informative video. I was slightly disappointed you skipped over Op Desert Storm/Op Granby so quickly. For the British military it was that conflict that brought the shemagh into mainstream usage, rather than being an occasional SF accessory. It replaced the scrim scarf as being the squaddie neck warmer of choice.
Think it was even Op Granby that saw the British issue their own tan shemaghs as part of the uniform kit. Love it when that bit of local garb enters into the official uniform
As I recall, they had a printed checkered pattern on it as opposed to woven. The Western military use of the 'shemagh/kefiyah' pre-dates Sept 11 by ages. I first heard of it in the '80s when it adopted by the Israelis as 'war trophies' of slain PLO fighters. Sometime, just after the Falklands, the UK company Survival Aids started marketing them and from there it was adopted by squaddies and has slowly spread to other Western Armies.
As a Turk I have never heard it being called pushi. People generally call it either a turban or başörtüsü (literally : head cover , though any cloth worn around the head it generally called that). Wearing that is a sure way to get yourself beaten up and arrested. It not only symbolises Arab nationalism but also Kurdish nationalism , both of which are *hated* in Turkey. And by hated I mean *HATED.*
Here in Spain, they are known as "Palestina", literally meaning, palestinian. It applies to every keffiyeh type scarf, regardless of pattern and colour, most frequently a base colour with a black pattern. It was a very popular piece of garment. I still have a white one, and my sister got herself a dark blue one. I also met a guy who had a ton of them in every imaginable colour.
It's from Iraq. John Bagot Glubb served Iraq before going to Transjordan and he fought with/against Iraqi tribes and was injured by them. He was later transferred to Jordan to help establish an army for the Hashimate monarchy and some Iraqi tribesmen helped in doing so. This is where he brought the Shemagh to his soldiers and it became popular in Palestine.
Loved the video it had alot of information. I could listen about this for a long time . The history of clothes how we wear them and why is fascinating to me. I wear a shamog almost daily in the United States. It's great for alot of things from protection from the sun wind and ect but actually does keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
I remember how three years ago I decided to walk through my small town (Noviy Rozdil, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine) wearing a Yemeni-style keffiyeh/shemag. The people who were standing next to me were just surprised, and some, like my grandmother, later scolded me for it.
I am from KSA. I never heard of the word swissri as much as I had travled. We called it Shemagh and usually say ghutrah reffering to the shymagh when its pure white. But they come I all colors and designes. Keffiyah is the head cap you wear before wearing the shymagh .
@@2saisai أسمها طاقية .. ما عندهم عرف الطاء في لغتهم لذلك وضعت نقطة قبل عرف T محد فالرياض يقول كوفية صاحي ؟ كل نجد من أولها لأخرها نقول طاقية و الحجاز كذلك (الحجازيين الأصليين طبعاً)
@@someone-wi4xl بس يا اصلي و تقليد 🤣🤣🤣 اللي وحدوا و حاربوا و مع الملك الموحد الله يرحمه و استقبلوه كلهم اصليين . قلت لك اسمها طاقيه او كوفيه. انزل سوق حراء ولا البلد و حتلاقي الناس تقول الكلمتين.
@@2saisai أنا أقصد القبائل العربية هناك .. وهم الحجازيون أما غيرهم فلا ثانياً أنت تقول "والرياض دايما نقول كوفية أو طاقيه" ماهب صحيح و أنا من أهل نجد .. ومن أعلاها لليمامة و شمالها لجنوبها محد يقول كوفية .. نقول طاقية و شماغ و عقال
I have a few and I’ve been using them for years. I’ve used them in the summer to protect my head, I’ve used them in winter to keep me warm and I’ve used one to wrap around my nose and mouth because of the pandemic.
I have to wear a neck brace permanently due to spinal damage. I cover it with a Keffiyeh and no one notices that I'm disabled out in public, and in fact I get compliments quite often. I live in Australia.
When I lived in eastern Saudi Arabia as a kid we most often used the term ghutrah. I'm not sure if that was a regional thing as we were close to Kuwait and the emirates or if it was just expat slang. Great video.
I started use keffiyehs around 2008 and it is still part of my looks, i use them everyday and every season and i have them from original colours, from palestinian factory to one that is olive green made by local Finnish firm, that i use when in military exercises or hunting. I live on artic circle and this is one of the most usefull piece clouthing that one can have. It warms and protects neck and throat even in -30 celsius and can be lifted to protect face during cold winds. During summer it can help to protect against the sun and heat. Just a brilliant piece of cloth.
@@tssteelx I think he means the German bread bag, which was mainly used as a sort of haversack by German troops during the early 19th and I think mid 20th centuries, but mainly associated with German troops during WW1 and 2.
@@MD_Films The “bread bag” was also used by different forces at different times. For example: My father was in the Polish military in the 80s and they had a sling bag which held personal stuff. They called it a “chlebak” and “chleb” is bread in Polish so you could call it a “bread bag”. Edit: But yes, as mentioned, the world war Germans are well known for their bread bags.
I wear keffiyehs and I'm not even remotely associated with the Islamic community. I like them because they look nice. They're comfy in the winter and good for cooling your head in the summer. Not to mention they look adventurous, too.
No one call it swissri. We call the white one ghutra. The Red called shemagh. I dont wear black one because its not so popular in saudi arabia but it called keffiya in palestine, syria iraq. All other colors green, tan and idk are popular for neck not for head.
I AM Prior Service USMC and US Army ( 1987-1998, with 1 Year and 4 Months in the Army National Guard ( ARNG) and US Army Reserve ( USAR) ) , but, this 53 Year Old Veteran Thanks You GWOT/ IBAT Warriors of Afghanistan and Iraq, for making the Shemagh a popular piece of apparel, as I AM a proud owner and wearer of Shemaghs and Sniper Veils.🇺🇸
Whenever I have bad, dusty days mowing the lawn I'll wear my keffiyeh with dust goggles. This scares my neighbors. In response I started to wear a Russian GP-5 gas mask, which scared their kids even more. Just can't win with some people.
Actually in western culture it was already popular during the late seventies/early eighties among punks in Europe as a way of identifying/sympathizing with the Palestinian plight.
@@Ziggy_Wolf although I do agree with you on the brainlessness and depravity of fashionistas, I find your stance a bit too extreme and one-sided. Yes, celebrating the loss of an other's life through a cowardly attack is disgusting and immoral (especially considering that the Lockerbie attack was carried out in a bid to establish a connection to and find approval from other Arab/middle-eastern entities, who previously shunned Gaddafi for being too western). But I understand where those sentiments come from. Wouldn't you be cheering if your enemy was struck a painful blow. Also, I wouldn't classify PLO and Hamas as terrorist organizations, but rather as freedom fighters, their goal is the creation of their own state, self governance and dignity for their people, not to spread and enforce their views on the rest of the world.
In Danish we call this "partisanertørklæde" - A partisan's scarf. A partisan in this context is always an armed fighter, because that is how the Danish word works, we have a different word for a zealous supporter of a given party or cause.
I have maybe three or four of these in total, in dark greens and browns since I love wearing earthy tones. Though, I think I also have a black and white one somewhere around here… anyway, I enjoy wearing them when the temperature rises around these parts. They’re quite practical and comfy!
Brilliant video and very informative. Just quick Iraqi take: Goutrah= Pure white one for summer time mainly. Shma'agh = white and red one widely used in winter time or around the year if you belong to Shemmar tribe or al-Sadoon. Chaffeyah 'Iraqi salng' or Kuffyah 'standard Arabic' = Black & White checkered is a Vivaldi sort of head wear that used by Arabs and Kurds too. Side note, I didn't know East Europe where those Zionists mainly shipped from had a Kaffyeah heritage! Or maybe God gave them that too? Well, they turned the almighty into real estate agent, why not a textile merchant now!!
@@jonahs92 Not as hilarious as how quick you pulled the anti Jews card just to murk the water to defend the Zionist colonzing project 'Israel'. Let me break the news for you, this card might have worked on Europeans and Americans to keep them paying with their treasures and blood to keep your 'entity' floating. On us the 'indigenous Semit' people of this region, it sure doesn't work 😉 I bet all your ancestors are laid to rest somewhere in Poland or Belarus or Ukraine 🤷🏻♂️
@The scarlet king You are correct because I learned that Iraq is quite literally the birth of civilization and some of the settlements found around Mesopotamia date back when Saber Tooth Tigers still existed.
Interesting stuff. But he could have gone way deeper. He should have also mentioned the 3gal, which is an integral part of the look, but was never mentioned. As well as the infinite nuances of ashmigha (it’s pl in Arabic) and how they are worn.
It may stop stigmas but after Oct 7 I won’t wear one ever again, I don’t want Anything to do with Any Form of Islam or those Palestinian wannabes and their protests .
As much as I enjoy your videos, I feel like may have a miscorrelation on this one. Keffiyeh isn't necessarily associated with rebels or extremist groups (maybe in the west?) just because they are worn by them, similar to seeing extremists wearing a baseball cap, it's not that it has a direct connection, but a cultural one. They wear keffiyeh because it's extremely common in Middle East. Keffiyeh is primarily civilian, it is not largely a political statement. Things like this make it feel like you maybe didn't consult Arabs
an interesting observation i made is that the word Shal, sound similar to the Indonesian word for a scarf, or really, any form of loose neck attire (Syal)
@@madmarvshighwaywarrior2870 nobody spoke of Indians here, i spoke of Indonesians specifically who also did their own seafaring maritime trade..go worry about how Indian traders for 2000 years used to sell cinnamon to Somali traders who used to ban the Indians from going anywhere passed the somali coastline (to prevent the Indians from meeting the greeks and romans in Egypt) which meant that Somalis were reselling cinnamon from India at inflated prices since only Somalis had a monopoly because the romans and ancient greeks thought cinnamon grew natively in Somalia (the rarest quality of frankincense and myrrh grows in Somalia but not cinnamon), the romans even called Somalia The Land of Cinnamon Isn't it funny how Somali merchants tricked the romans and greeks by reselling cinammom imported from India lmaooo Read this, it's from Oxford University In ancient times, the northern coast was known as Punt (“land of the Gods”) to the ancient Egyptians; as the land of the Barbaroi to the Greeks; as the Regio Cinnamafore (“land of the cinnamon”) to the Romans, who thought the Somali coast produced cinnamon, whereas it might have served only as a commercial hub for spices from the Indian subcontinent; and, finally, to medieval Arabs, as the land of the Berbers, an appellation apparently related to the Barbaroi of the Greeks and present in the early 21st century in the name of the northern port city of Berbera. The rest of what is, in the early 21st century, Somalia-more precisely, the coastal towns of southern Somalia, from Mogadishu to the Kenyan border-was until the last few centuries part of the Swahili coast and civilization-that is, until the Somali arrival in the South. The Somali republic, formed in 1960 from the former British Somaliland (the North) and the former Italian Somalia (the South), is situated in the Somali peninsula. It is the Somali republic, in disarray in the early 21st century, that is popularly known as Somalia. The Somali people, sometimes portrayed as nomads who roamed the land until their encounter with Europeans, have been active participants in the affairs of the wider region, including the Asian side, as traders, seafarers, Muslim scholars, and immigrants since ancient times. That their country was known as the “land of the cinnamon” in Roman times, when they may have been only reexporting what they had imported from Asia, attests to their commercial savoir faire. Later, as Muslims, after the introduction of Islam, they propagated their faith to areas farther south. For example, ʿUthman ibin ʿAli Zaylaʿi, from the city of Zeila, in the North, authored Tabyīn al-ḥaqāʾiq fī sharḥ fi sharḥ Kanz al-daqāʾiq, a well-known six-volume work, used particularly by the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence; one of his students went on to produce further jurisprudence work. Other Somalis wrote, also in Arabic, a number of religious eulogies (manaaqib) in praise of various saints. Thus, Somalis produced Muslim scholars who wrote in Arabic, the liturgical language, just as medieval Europeans wrote in Latin, the language of the Roman Catholic Church.
We still wear them in the us army but we call it a smeagh not sure where that name came from but they are the best keeps the heat off your neck and head when it’s hot and keeps you warm when it’s cold
One time, when I was working at an arcade, a Saudi man came in and began dumping hundreds of quid into our fruit machines. A little while later, he came to the token shop to buy stuff and I asked him, as I usually do when a foreigner walks in "Where are you from?" And he tells me he's from Saudi Arabia. So I got curious and I tentatively asked him "Do the people in Saudi Arabia actually wear those red and white head wrap things?" as I did not know what it was called. To begin with, he was confused and thought I was referring to the Hijab and he told me that "Some people still do, if they're fairly conservative." but I pressed him and explained in a bit more detail what I was referring to. I saw a light bulb go up over his head and he goes "Oh! Those things. Yeah those are basically the Arab equivalent of the suit and tie, Arabs wear it for formal occasions and the like."
In Saudi Arabia we call it a shemagh.
Not true, even nomadic Arabs wear it
Well the Jordanian royal family would quite literally wear it with suit and tie, so technically he is right
Lol that's a funny way of putting it
@@xondeez757 and Kurds also wear it but is quite different from Arabic ones
I'm from Saudi Arabia and I never heard anyone say Swissri or seen it mentioned in any books or articles except this video lol
Maybe it is the english form of an arabic word?
@@Twentycent911 swaissri means from Switzerland
Fr he had a lot of wrong information
نص معلوماته من الكيس ... وقفت على هذي 😂😂😂😂
Typical Western , trying to figure out what’s going on by reading folk lore and fictional stories, he could have just interviewed an arab and got better information
I have to admit, I'm very interested in traditional civilian headwear wich is also used in a military/militant context. I'l like this video
Yeah, the Keffiyeh and the Afghan Pakol is worn by Special Operations in Afghan.
@@gastari429 you always see lads wearing t shirts.. I would love to learn about the story of them.
History of the beret
@@gastari429 probably the same as any uniform. They’re clothes, they’re just gonna be less durable.
@@tomh2572 What's funny is that T-shirts were originally part of the US Navy Uniform in WW2. They became popular with veterans because of their comfort, breath-ability, and ease of donning/doffing.
The city of Kufa was made capital of Iraq during the Islamic period. This caused most people at the time to refer to the entirety of southern Iraq as Kufa. Because the scarf originated in southern Iraq, it was referred to as Kiffeyah.
@Pouty MacPotatohead in Arabic language eyah is added at the end of feminine adjectives..... Kufa is Feminine city name.... Kuf-eyah means it's a kufic-from kufa
@Pouty MacPotatohead my bro just equated English syllables to Arabic ones🤣
@Pouty MacPotatohead u in kuffah can be pretty much silent the transition of kuffah (city) to kiffiyah (from kuffah) is similar to that of (child) (children) (wolf) (wolves) in English
Interesting, I just learned a new fact
@Pouty MacPotatohead
More like كوفة - كوفية
The only added Letter was ي
The fun fact. In Soviet Union and Russia it is used to be called as "Arafatka" - a referral to once famous Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat.
Fun indeed
Arafat was Egyptian.
By the In Poland we call it the same.
Interesting very interesting fact right there
In the Czech Republic Arafatka it is ;)
If you’re a desert hiker/camper, one trick I’ve used for years is to soak the keffiyeh in water then tie it around your head however you wish. But especially getting it on your neck.
That water on your skin then evaporating off in the heat feels amazing and is a good way to stave off 100+ degree heat.
Great fact, I live in Texas although I’m Canadian so you know that I’m still not used to the heat.
Yes just putting a soaked shemagh on your head and let it dangle on the sides turns it into a portable head air conditioner
How do you keep down the stink? Mine reeks after day 2.
@@Rake3577 No batteries required.
@@BlindDesertPete Frequent washing, and replacing it with others.
I had a red Kafiya. We were allowed to wear them for like 2 weeks in 2004. They worked and gave a little bit of cool factor to your uniform and gear.
We said it was to appear in unison with the Arabs, but we really just wore it because the guys on the cover of Soldier of Fortune were wearing them.
ally af
Allyness
I wore one that was black & white given to me by my Iraqi troops in 2004 until we went back to the States in Oct 2005. It went back to Iraq with me and was worn in 2009-2010...
@@aaronsanborn4291 we we’re told to put them away. We had an issue where our scout platoon caught a patrol from our second platoon running around with no tops, Yankees hats, oakleys. No helmets. Well since we lived in the city we could get away with this. The scout PL used to be in our company and took a pic and gave to him at the next briefing we’ll somehow our SGM saw them. Next day SGM forms a patrol to look for a patrol. Well they found one of our 3rd platoon patrols. Guys were out no helmets, no tops, SL was carrying a shotgun, it was a shit show. So we were ordered that the only civilian equipment we could have was sunglasses underwear and chest rigs because we hadn’t gotten RFI yet.
@@fathead8933 lol I was a 19D...I also trained and lead Iraqi troops...our Squadron Commander gave us a lot of leeway...
So, basically wear the wrong colors in the wrong hood and you will most likely get shot. Sounds familiar.
Yerrr
GTA San Andreas
This history is complete b.d. these scarfs where worn by Bedouin yes they where nomads but the didnt come from the Mesopotamia yes scarfs where worn by different tribes but these are bedouin
Yes, just like wearing a Clear Sky patch as your pfp and a CS-3A armour will get you shot in the renegade base
What a dumb comment lmao
I'm a blonde haired, blue eyed white dude, and I've been called all sorts of ethnic slurs associated with middle eastern and Muslim people because early on in the pandemic, I didn't own any decent purpose-made protective masks, just a shemagh that I bought for desert camping trips, but of course I was required to wear some sort of face covering in public, so I wore what I had. I have other, better masks now and I wear those instead. I wish there wasn't this social stigma though. Shemaghs can be very utilitarian in certain situations.
Shemaghs are quite nice. I have a couple i use here and there. But the ignorant morons you run into on occasion do prevent me from using them in public. People and their tribalistic tenancies sure are funny, aren't they?
ive been called a raghead and ppl make bomb jokes about me lmao
Dont worry about those people. They would be assholes regardless of the pandemic. Im a hispanic dude and i wear mine when i go fishing to protect my neck and face
I've worn mine since it was given to me by my Iraqi troops in Tal Afar in 2004.
I have had a red one and a black one for many years. A couple years ago I bought a golden one through a group of Iraqi/Afghani war veterans who sell them to raise money to run education programs in Afghanistan. I typically wear them in the winter as scarves. I have never had anyone say anything one way or another about any of them when I did.
6:43 Ah yes the Sykes-Picot agreement, good thing that little doozy didn't have any consequences we still feel today.
Eh, I'm sure it will be fine, what's the wor-
_100 years of Middle East History goes by_
...Oh dear...
Cough cough 9/11 cough.
"The Sykes-Picot agreement was broadly accepted by everyone and nothing bad ever came of it" A history teacher that has given up.
Well said good sir
*rubs hands
I am a Palestinian Arab, but I am fala7i (farmer, rather than bedouin or city dweller) and we wear this as well, but we wear white or black and white. Another word for the kuffiyeh is also the hatta, and the igal is the black woven part that holds on the hatta. I recently moved to the USA and I wear my hatta since it is an important symbol to us, but I am surprised to see many Americans wearing different colored kuffiyehs, I dont know if they know the actual meaning behind wearing these kuffiyehs. Palestinian militants and fedayeen, the PLO, yasir arafat all wore black and white kuffiyehs, so it is a very important symbol to us and a sign of our patriotism and struggle against oppression. You did a pretty good job explaining things here, today the red and white kuffiyeh is specific to saudi arabia and jordan, black and white is for palestine and iraq, white is emirates and qatar and kuwait.
Israeli-Arab*
Palis are not really Arabs.
@@GreaterAfghanistanMovement palestinians are arabs?
@@positive2772 Not ethnically speaking
As someone from Western Europe (might be similar with other places in "the West") I would not know its exact meaning without actively seeking out the information. And while the video does a good job it cannot show (beyond hinting) the emotions attached by people with a tradition of wearing the cloth.
So, no most people are only slightly aware at best.
jesus christ that is way more culturally deep than I'd ever imagine
Yep
I don't see what that has to do with Jesus.
@@jameswoodard4304 its just an expression
@@HerrWayne45 ,
I'm aware.
I've been obsessed with historical hats recently. You'd be suprised almost every hat has a facinating history and symbology behind it. Personally I love the ffa kepi, Borsalino, turban phrgyian cap ect ect. Really cool stuff!
Funnily, we were wearing them in Iraq in 03-04' because of its functional purpose. The portion on the head is folded into multiple layers, if you wet it it will keep you comparatively cool for several hours. The "hanging" fold in the front is a single layer and if you pull one edge of it up, and tuck it in the cord it covers the face completely. The weave is tight enough to keep out the granules in a sand storm, but loose and thin enough to see through.
Do you condone your country’s decision and believe you should have been in Iraq? I’m just curious. War is complex and there are two sides to every story. But I’d like to hear a soldier out.
Even the English words "denim" and "jeans" are derivative of placenames.
Denim France
@@cutestickfigurepicturewith6102 de nimes means "from nimes" but what does jeans come from?
whaaat where does "jeans" come from?
De Genoa.
@@KevinPatrickJr thank you, for a non-linguist that was not obvious.
Wow, what a history never knew what the colours where for.
I bought a brown keffiyeh from hirbawi three years ago, I hope they're doing well, they include a thank you note and everything when you buy one, worth the price, they have the best designs really I find the mass produced ones to be cheap and tacky.
I have a couple hirbawi ones, and, yes, way classier than a "punisher skull" or such.
I had a Chinese one that ripped somehow after wearing it 4 or 5 times. I gave that one away and bought 3 from hirbawi in different colors and the material is so much better
The Hirbawi kufiyas are still great, just got me a new one with lighter colors for spring/summertime.
A little bit larger and much nicer than the commonly found low budget shemagh.
thank you for buying from hirbawi! it's a palestinian company and it's great edit: didn't know he'd talk ab it here. that's cool
Thanks for pointing me towards Hirbawi, those are beautiful designs!
I'm the great grandson of Glubb Pasha, I rarely see any videos about him and I just want 2 say how happy I was 2 see this video and what a great job you did! I'm a long time viewer of your videos and this has quickly become my favourite video :) The Keffiyeh has always been very important to our family (especially the red and white), and Jordan always has a special place in our hearts, so thank you for this amazing job!
His “Fate of Empires” is literal genius in writing.
He was a British convert to Islam, wasn't he? I saw his name pop up in a few history books.
@@ericferguson9989 He never converted to Islam, he remained Christian his whole life however. His fist born son Faris did, hope this helps :)
@@harrybuller8985 Intersting. I had an African History professor who was a direct descendant of Livingston. It's kind of neat to have even a tangental link to history.
I was given one that was black & white by my Iraqi troops in 2004, I wore it on missions the rest of 2004-2005 & again in 2009-2010 during my 2nd tour in Iraq.
Black & white used by Southern Iraq
While red & white is used by western Iraq
I never understood how one coulde wear those things in those hot climates, i use them as scarves during the winter.
@@arx3516 it’s actually a lot cooler to wear light colored clothing to keep the sun off of you, than being even naked but burning alive in a 130 degree afternoon sun
I found a beautiful old red/white keffiyeh with emboidered patterns in a vintage linens shop. It was labeled as a Tablecloth! It was my duty to rescue it from this unfortunate fate. I treasure it, but don't wear it as the cotton is very fine & don't want to damage it.
Red/white are called Shemagh.
Wow
😂😂
Ah yes, my favourite piece of cloth! I grew up not being used to wear hats, but one could say that I fell in love with the keffiyeh at first sight. The problem is even my parents would often tease me when I'm wearing mine. I'm living in the Philippines btw, and I do often get teased by wearing my keffiyeh. Most people here prefer wearing baseball caps, but like I said earlier, hats (especially baseball caps) aren't really my thing cuz keffiyehs and similar headgear are better (in my personal experience.).
Honestly am an arab, and even for me sometimes it gets confusing lol
@Shanks RedHair
chill
@Shanks RedHair “which tribe” like bro, I don’t know what Viking tribe I’m from lmao
@Shanks RedHair you got so easily offensive claiming those guys arent arab and calling those countries filthy 😂😂😂😂😂😂
There's also the traditional rojavayê kurdish ones, with colorful floral motifs like roses and leaves.
Check out the yemeni style
I've only ever heard it called a Shemagh lol
Me too 😊
same, its weird that he didnt mention that name in the beginning with all the other names
I think Shemagh is Turkish for " The Bound Thing .
we call it as "Sorban" here in Indonesia.
In Poland we call it arafatka
Be sure to add all those names to the tags in RUclips, will boost your "engagement".
Also I love my shemagh as a winter scarf.
So do I :)
It all started in Mesopotamia Iraq 🇮🇶 ♥️
I need a giant history book compilation called International hat history.
In Denmark we call the Keffiyeh a PLO scarf. It was a very popular scarf for a period, now it is more or less replaced by insanely long grey woolen scarfs that will strangle you if it get caught in your bike wheel or chain.
"... will strangle you if you get it caught in your bicycle wheel or chain" is the most Danish thing I've heard in a long time. Not something Americans outside the biggest cities worry about. The majority of Americans consider cycling a form of exercise/sport/hobby activity. Sadly, most Americans living outside of the biggest cities would see cycling (as a form of transportation) as either a political statement about the environment or protesting oil companies - or as a sign of being a 'loser' who can't afford a car. I'm jealous of European bicycle infrastructure and the acceptance of biking to work as a normal adult mode of transportation instead of a leisure activity or a sign of poverty!
@@TheRepublicOfJohn When i was a kid, the director of our local bank chain would zip by me every morning on his 18 mile ride to work, no matter the weather.
Last place i worked, people who cycled to work, were offered acces to locker and shower facilities and we could spend the yearly uniform budget on cycling and running clothes as weel as company bicycle helmets and bike lanterns. the company track suits where a smash hit.
The Sehmagh saved me from the desert sun so many time
As an Iraqi I love that people are embracing our culture even if they are US Soldiers.
@Just when i thought i was out but you have freedom now.
After the destruction of your country, you like that they dress like you !!! 😧😧😧😧
your usernames tells me all i need to know. yt washed weirdo
World cultures are always worth learning about! Stay safe friend!
I remember being gifted one of these from a Palestinian way back in high school and absolutely fell in love with them, wasn't till years later I learned more about them being more than just cool fashion. Flash forward more than 15 years, and am still wearing them.
Nice!
Israeli-Arab*
@@jonahs92 Israeli Arabs live in Israel Palestinians live in Palestine
@@jonahs92 crazy how insanely colonialist zionists are
Red keffiyeh always make me remember good old times where we studying quran in a local mosque, there's one kind old imam that always wear red keffiyeh in his neck. Well we're not in the arab/middle east tho
We don’t call it Swissair in Saudi Arabia. It’s Shemagh
„Arafatka” in Polish, as an association to Yassir Arafat
"Arafatlappen" in German lit: "arafatcloth"
The same slang name in Russian
I think it`s same in every Soc Bloc country
or "palestina" in Czech. Guess why...
@@vaclav_fejt Also knowen as Palestinänsertuch (literally Palestinian cloth) in German.
0:49 First time ever hearing Swissri. We call it Shemagh for the red striped “Swissri” and Ghutrah for the full white one.
What do you call black and white shemagh like iraqis wear
@@adnanhashmi2742 لا اعلم والله. شماغ ابيض و اسود يمكن ؟😬🤷🏻♂️
@@AbdoZaInsert yes in iraq many men wear black and white shemagh also yasser arafat used to wear it
@@AbdoZaInsert I think iraqis call it agal, idk why cuz agal is what goes on top of the shemagh
I love the style of the keffiyeh or the shemagh. Very tacticool but also fashionable, I particularly like it in the green, brown, tan colours. Very informative video. Well done.
18:00 Regarding the sudra, Yemenite Jewish men historically wore it on the head after marriage as a sign of modesty. This practice was later stopped after Arab countries banned Jews from wearing Arab clothing (sudra/keffiyeh, thobe, etc.).
thats good cant wait till american soilders get banned from wearing arab clothing.
Ahh thank you for this information, I wondered if thobes were ever worn by Jewish men! In my opinion Arab countries should not have banned Jews from wearing them .
In portuguese we have a item of clothing called a "xaile" from the Shawl. a piece of clothing used around the head and shoulders by women, the piece of clothing probably existed before we brought the word from Arabia/East
Same word used in swedish just different spelling. Sjal
Didn't expect you to make a video about the Shemagh/Keffiyah. Also good job on researching the topic, you managed to teach an arab something new about his own culture haha.
I primarily wore a tan with red-brown checkering when I was deployed to Kuwait. One night, one of the Third Country Nationals that worked as a truck driver (his nickname we used for him was Wolverine) cheered me on. I can only assume it was because of that shemagh. That was in 2010.
Last year, I was finally able to purchase two kuffiyeh from Hirbawi. The quality is leaps and bounds better than the coalition shemagh I had worn, and superior to the kuffiyeh I had bought in Kuwait. The two I bought were the traditional black on white net, and the color palette inspired by Bethlehem, the latter being a Christmas gift for my mother.
Shemagh anyone?
Shemagh is the red one Kufia is the black and white one and the complete white is called ghetra
I watched this on RUclips TV and found it fascinating. I’m glad you explained how Shamagh was different.
Your channel is literally the best , you do an amazing job on all the different uniforms and topics you cover.
When I did AirSoft I used to wear one.
People hated it at first but later found it endearing.
imagine hating someone for wearing a scarf 😂
I’ve always used one in Airsoft. Usually green or tan. A good way of protecting your neck or keeping the sun of your head if you don’t have a cap
I would hate it when my opponents looks cooler and badass than me
An absolutely beautiful piece of clothing. Great video!
In Germany it is often called „Palästinenser Tuch“ meaning palestinian cloth, and usually it is shortend to just „Pali“
Fascinating! Thanks for a look at a simple article of clothing with a complex history.
Yeah, its not only for the Desert, i wear my Kufiyah in Autuum and Winter too :-)
That was a fantastic video!
Informative, entertaining and at a perfect pace to deliver its payload!
10!
Varusteleka has 2 versions, one 100% wool and one wool-silk that I can not recommend enough. I wear the 100% wool one as neck scarf when fat biking and its great. I would recommend the Hebron Arts (Hirbawi) keffiyeh also, they are high quality and supporting the people that actually, you know, have been making these for generations vs. some factory setup in China to churn them out pennies on the dollar.
What is "fat biking"?
@@maceosikes Biking (usually in the snow) with bikes that have 4"-5" wide tires. Local trails: ruclips.net/video/vFcg5qfoXEM/видео.html
One interesting point of note about the history of the Keffiyeh is that it's speculated that the torses and mantling worn by crusaders in the middle east were based on Keffiyehs or other local headwear and used to keep the sun off of their metal helmets, and forms of this are still seen in modern heraldry, although artistic license has made it much more common to see flowing, torn ribbons from the back of helmets on coats of arms than actual whole rectangles of cloth.
Can confirm lifesaver working outdoors in Arizona
19:07 "Anti-war woven scarf", the keffiyeh became popular because of war.
This is an outstanding video. It held my attention for the full 22 minutes and had information I didn't know. I think it's one of the best I've seen in the past year.
There is a new scarf that gained popularity in both Syria and Iraq, it's called the "Embroidered shemagh", it was made popular because of it's use by Al-nusra and ISIS in the region, most of the time it's black with brown or golden motifs, or just completely black. I think its origins are from Yemen. I have seen people refer to it as "Kashmiri" but i don't know if it has connection to Kashmir.
Thank you for another informative video. I was slightly disappointed you skipped over Op Desert Storm/Op Granby so quickly. For the British military it was that conflict that brought the shemagh into mainstream usage, rather than being an occasional SF accessory. It replaced the scrim scarf as being the squaddie neck warmer of choice.
Think it was even Op Granby that saw the British issue their own tan shemaghs as part of the uniform kit. Love it when that bit of local garb enters into the official uniform
As I recall, they had a printed checkered pattern on it as opposed to woven. The Western military use of the 'shemagh/kefiyah' pre-dates Sept 11 by ages. I first heard of it in the '80s when it adopted by the Israelis as 'war trophies' of slain PLO fighters. Sometime, just after the Falklands, the UK company Survival Aids started marketing them and from there it was adopted by squaddies and has slowly spread to other Western Armies.
As a Turk I have never heard it being called pushi. People generally call it either a turban or başörtüsü (literally : head cover , though any cloth worn around the head it generally called that).
Wearing that is a sure way to get yourself beaten up and arrested. It not only symbolises Arab nationalism but also Kurdish nationalism , both of which are *hated* in Turkey. And by hated I mean *HATED.*
Here in Spain, they are known as "Palestina", literally meaning, palestinian. It applies to every keffiyeh type scarf, regardless of pattern and colour, most frequently a base colour with a black pattern.
It was a very popular piece of garment. I still have a white one, and my sister got herself a dark blue one. I also met a guy who had a ton of them in every imaginable colour.
It's from Iraq. John Bagot Glubb served Iraq before going to Transjordan and he fought with/against Iraqi tribes and was injured by them. He was later transferred to Jordan to help establish an army for the Hashimate monarchy and some Iraqi tribesmen helped in doing so. This is where he brought the Shemagh to his soldiers and it became popular in Palestine.
Correction : in Saudi Arabia its not only called Swissri, but it is also called Shemagh.
One time I was in a department store in America. I was wearing a shemaghas a mask. While there I saw a Arab using his shemagh as a mask as well.
Loved the video it had alot of information. I could listen about this for a long time . The history of clothes how we wear them and why is fascinating to me. I wear a shamog almost daily in the United States. It's great for alot of things from protection from the sun wind and ect but actually does keep you cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.
I remember how three years ago I decided to walk through my small town (Noviy Rozdil, Lviv Oblast, Ukraine) wearing a Yemeni-style keffiyeh/shemag. The people who were standing next to me were just surprised, and some, like my grandmother, later scolded me for it.
I am from KSA. I never heard of the word swissri as much as I had travled. We called it Shemagh and usually say ghutrah reffering to the shymagh when its pure white. But they come I all colors and designes. Keffiyah is the head cap you wear before wearing the shymagh .
the head cap is called " 'Taqiyyah "
not Kuffiyah as you said ... generally in Saudi Arabia we don't say Kuffiyah at all
@@someone-wi4xl تقية؟ مدري إمكن عند القطيف ولا الشيعة بس في الغربيه و الرياض دايما نقول كوفية أو طاقيه. اول مره اسمع أحد يناديها تقيه.
@@2saisai أسمها طاقية .. ما عندهم عرف الطاء في لغتهم
لذلك وضعت نقطة قبل عرف T
محد فالرياض يقول كوفية صاحي ؟ كل نجد من أولها لأخرها نقول طاقية و الحجاز كذلك (الحجازيين الأصليين طبعاً)
@@someone-wi4xl بس يا اصلي و تقليد 🤣🤣🤣 اللي وحدوا و حاربوا و مع الملك الموحد الله يرحمه و استقبلوه كلهم اصليين . قلت لك اسمها طاقيه او كوفيه. انزل سوق حراء ولا البلد و حتلاقي الناس تقول الكلمتين.
@@2saisai أنا أقصد القبائل العربية هناك .. وهم الحجازيون أما غيرهم فلا
ثانياً أنت تقول "والرياض دايما نقول كوفية أو طاقيه" ماهب صحيح و أنا من أهل نجد .. ومن أعلاها لليمامة و شمالها لجنوبها محد يقول كوفية .. نقول طاقية و شماغ و عقال
I have a few and I’ve been using them for years. I’ve used them in the summer to protect my head, I’ve used them in winter to keep me warm and I’ve used one to wrap around my nose and mouth because of the pandemic.
Why not buy a autentic Russian ushanka to go with that ?
Wow and literally second 🥈, wish for Ops-Core FAST helmet with other variants soon!
I have to wear a neck brace permanently due to spinal damage. I cover it with a Keffiyeh and no one notices that I'm disabled out in public, and in fact I get compliments quite often. I live in Australia.
I'm glad it has been helpful, it's honestly such a nice fabric and useful but it's looked at negatively in some areas
When I lived in eastern Saudi Arabia as a kid we most often used the term ghutrah. I'm not sure if that was a regional thing as we were close to Kuwait and the emirates or if it was just expat slang. Great video.
ghutra white shumagh red...but most people say ghutra in general
For us ghutrah is usually pure white and of better quality and softer than shmaq which is rougher
I'm arab and this was great video thank u
In czech it's most common names are "palestina" or "arafatka" ("arafat's"). I have the jordanian kind, and it's great!
did not expect this to be so deep, very interesting please do more like this
Great educational video of the keffir! Obviously lots of research done. Keep up the good work!
It's great how in-depth your research is. Great videos
I started use keffiyehs around 2008 and it is still part of my looks, i use them everyday and every season and i have them from original colours, from palestinian factory to one that is olive green made by local Finnish firm, that i use when in military exercises or hunting.
I live on artic circle and this is one of the most usefull piece clouthing that one can have. It warms and protects neck and throat even in -30 celsius and can be lifted to protect face during cold winds. During summer it can help to protect against the sun and heat. Just a brilliant piece of cloth.
Have you made an episode about the “bread bag”?
Is that actually a thing?
@@tssteelx I think he means the German bread bag, which was mainly used as a sort of haversack by German troops during the early 19th and I think mid 20th centuries, but mainly associated with German troops during WW1 and 2.
@@MD_Films i see.
@@MD_Films The “bread bag” was also used by different forces at different times. For example: My father was in the Polish military in the 80s and they had a sling bag which held personal stuff. They called it a “chlebak” and “chleb” is bread in Polish so you could call it a “bread bag”.
Edit: But yes, as mentioned, the world war Germans are well known for their bread bags.
@@averagedemographic8933 that sounds interesting.
Very well done video. This channel keeps getting better.
I got mine today...The tactical one and Im so happy.
I wear keffiyehs and I'm not even remotely associated with the Islamic community. I like them because they look nice. They're comfy in the winter and good for cooling your head in the summer. Not to mention they look adventurous, too.
This is one of the reasons that myself as an Arabian, wear it among other usages.
Awesome topic. I hope you also do the boonie hat (if you haven't already).
Well done : writing an article as neutral as possible article in this context. That is an achievement.
No one call it swissri.
We call the white one ghutra.
The Red called shemagh.
I dont wear black one because its not so popular in saudi arabia but it called keffiya in palestine, syria iraq.
All other colors green, tan and idk are popular for neck not for head.
I AM Prior Service USMC and US Army ( 1987-1998, with 1 Year and 4 Months in the Army National Guard ( ARNG) and US Army Reserve ( USAR) ) , but, this 53 Year Old Veteran Thanks You GWOT/ IBAT Warriors of Afghanistan and Iraq, for making the Shemagh a popular piece of apparel, as I AM a proud owner and wearer of Shemaghs and Sniper Veils.🇺🇸
I just came here to support the PFLP.
Whenever I have bad, dusty days mowing the lawn I'll wear my keffiyeh with dust goggles. This scares my neighbors. In response I started to wear a Russian GP-5 gas mask, which scared their kids even more.
Just can't win with some people.
Actually in western culture it was already popular during the late seventies/early eighties among punks in Europe as a way of identifying/sympathizing with the Palestinian plight.
@@Ziggy_Wolf although I do agree with you on the brainlessness and depravity of fashionistas, I find your stance a bit too extreme and one-sided.
Yes, celebrating the loss of an other's life through a cowardly attack is disgusting and immoral (especially considering that the Lockerbie attack was carried out in a bid to establish a connection to and find approval from other Arab/middle-eastern entities, who previously shunned Gaddafi for being too western).
But I understand where those sentiments come from. Wouldn't you be cheering if your enemy was struck a painful blow.
Also, I wouldn't classify PLO and Hamas as terrorist organizations, but rather as freedom fighters, their goal is the creation of their own state, self governance and dignity for their people, not to spread and enforce their views on the rest of the world.
@@Ziggy_Wolf is that all you gotta say? Are you against freedom?
@@Ziggy_Wolf nobody likes a zionist karen
In the Levant we call it Kouffeyyeh (listen it on google translate), but never heard of Kiffeyah, not with the accents that I'm familiar with.
Yeah that's how we say it in Iraq. he is just saying it in a western way I think.
Since you've shown it several times in this video, can you please make one too about the history of the pith helmet or safari helmet?
In Danish we call this "partisanertørklæde" - A partisan's scarf. A partisan in this context is always an armed fighter, because that is how the Danish word works, we have a different word for a zealous supporter of a given party or cause.
Love the work you do! Excellent academic standards and rigorous understanding of the subject matter. I look forward to seeing more!
I have maybe three or four of these in total, in dark greens and browns since I love wearing earthy tones. Though, I think I also have a black and white one somewhere around here… anyway, I enjoy wearing them when the temperature rises around these parts. They’re quite practical and comfy!
Brilliant video and very informative. Just quick Iraqi take:
Goutrah= Pure white one for summer time mainly.
Shma'agh = white and red one widely used in winter time or around the year if you belong to Shemmar tribe or al-Sadoon.
Chaffeyah 'Iraqi salng' or Kuffyah 'standard Arabic' = Black & White checkered is a Vivaldi sort of head wear that used by Arabs and Kurds too.
Side note, I didn't know East Europe where those Zionists mainly shipped from had a Kaffyeah heritage! Or maybe God gave them that too? Well, they turned the almighty into real estate agent, why not a textile merchant now!!
It's hilarious how much you hate Israel and the Jewish people, when you clearly don't know anything about us. Love to Iraq. 🇮🇱💚🇮🇶
@@jonahs92 Not as hilarious as how quick you pulled the anti Jews card just to murk the water to defend the Zionist colonzing project 'Israel'. Let me break the news for you, this card might have worked on Europeans and Americans to keep them paying with their treasures and blood to keep your 'entity' floating. On us the 'indigenous Semit' people of this region, it sure doesn't work 😉 I bet all your ancestors are laid to rest somewhere in Poland or Belarus or Ukraine 🤷🏻♂️
Chafiyeh is used in Iran though, but yeahh Iranians wear them too. It's used in the Middle East in general
Damn, I am from Kufa. Iraq has the deepest history in the world.
Well it has history going back at least 5,000 years ago.
@@AlexKS1992Yes and the first civilisation started in Iraq and we had also not one civilisation but a couple of it.
@The scarlet king You are correct because I learned that Iraq is quite literally the birth of civilization and some of the settlements found around Mesopotamia date back when Saber Tooth Tigers still existed.
I really love clothing that originates from arid environments.
Same. Especially the blue Tuareg stuff. Awesome.
This was great. The non-military part of the video was probably the most interesting. Ever thought about covering non military clothing?
Interesting stuff. But he could have gone way deeper. He should have also mentioned the 3gal, which is an integral part of the look, but was never mentioned.
As well as the infinite nuances of ashmigha (it’s pl in Arabic) and how they are worn.
Good to see a video on this, I hope this stops stigmas and educates
It may stop stigmas but after Oct 7 I won’t wear one ever again, I don’t want Anything to do with Any Form of Islam or those Palestinian wannabes and their protests .
On time for once. Big fan of your videos.
As much as I enjoy your videos, I feel like may have a miscorrelation on this one. Keffiyeh isn't necessarily associated with rebels or extremist groups (maybe in the west?) just because they are worn by them, similar to seeing extremists wearing a baseball cap, it's not that it has a direct connection, but a cultural one. They wear keffiyeh because it's extremely common in Middle East. Keffiyeh is primarily civilian, it is not largely a political statement. Things like this make it feel like you maybe didn't consult Arabs
an interesting observation i made is that the word Shal, sound similar to the Indonesian word for a scarf, or really, any form of loose neck attire (Syal)
We also call scarfs shals more exactly șal in Romania
Thanks to Arab merchants and missionaries who found their way to Southeast Asia.
@@madmarvshighwaywarrior2870 more likely thanks to Indonesian merchants and traders who made it to the middle East and horn of Africa
@@hassanabdikarimmohamed2505 or Srivijaya or Majapahit, hehe
@@madmarvshighwaywarrior2870 nobody spoke of Indians here, i spoke of Indonesians specifically who also did their own seafaring maritime trade..go worry about how Indian traders for 2000 years used to sell cinnamon to Somali traders who used to ban the Indians from going anywhere passed the somali coastline (to prevent the Indians from meeting the greeks and romans in Egypt) which meant that Somalis were reselling cinnamon from India at inflated prices since only Somalis had a monopoly because the romans and ancient greeks thought cinnamon grew natively in Somalia (the rarest quality of frankincense and myrrh grows in Somalia but not cinnamon), the romans even called Somalia The Land of Cinnamon
Isn't it funny how Somali merchants tricked the romans and greeks by reselling cinammom imported from India lmaooo
Read this, it's from Oxford University
In ancient times, the northern coast was known as Punt (“land of the Gods”) to the ancient Egyptians; as the land of the Barbaroi to the Greeks; as the Regio Cinnamafore (“land of the cinnamon”) to the Romans, who thought the Somali coast produced cinnamon, whereas it might have served only as a commercial hub for spices from the Indian subcontinent; and, finally, to medieval Arabs, as the land of the Berbers, an appellation apparently related to the Barbaroi of the Greeks and present in the early 21st century in the name of the northern port city of Berbera. The rest of what is, in the early 21st century, Somalia-more precisely, the coastal towns of southern Somalia, from Mogadishu to the Kenyan border-was until the last few centuries part of the Swahili coast and civilization-that is, until the Somali arrival in the South. The Somali republic, formed in 1960 from the former British Somaliland (the North) and the former Italian Somalia (the South), is situated in the Somali peninsula. It is the Somali republic, in disarray in the early 21st century, that is popularly known as Somalia. The Somali people, sometimes portrayed as nomads who roamed the land until their encounter with Europeans, have been active participants in the affairs of the wider region, including the Asian side, as traders, seafarers, Muslim scholars, and immigrants since ancient times. That their country was known as the “land of the cinnamon” in Roman times, when they may have been only reexporting what they had imported from Asia, attests to their commercial savoir faire. Later, as Muslims, after the introduction of Islam, they propagated their faith to areas farther south. For example, ʿUthman ibin ʿAli Zaylaʿi, from the city of Zeila, in the North, authored Tabyīn al-ḥaqāʾiq fī sharḥ fi sharḥ Kanz al-daqāʾiq, a well-known six-volume work, used particularly by the Hanafi school of Islamic jurisprudence; one of his students went on to produce further jurisprudence work. Other Somalis wrote, also in Arabic, a number of religious eulogies (manaaqib) in praise of various saints. Thus, Somalis produced Muslim scholars who wrote in Arabic, the liturgical language, just as medieval Europeans wrote in Latin, the language of the Roman Catholic Church.
We still wear them in the us army but we call it a smeagh not sure where that name came from but they are the best keeps the heat off your neck and head when it’s hot and keeps you warm when it’s cold
Believe me im saudi and we don’t call it swissri ! Lol its called shemagh in mostly all GCC countries
I've only ever known it as a Shemagh
same, and everybody I know uses the same term and that's a lot of guys who've been deployed to the Middle East
Me too
In Saudi Arabia it's called shemagh, and they are the most people who wear it amongst Arabs!
@@arabiyyah7965 Yes, we wear them in the British Army, we call them Shemagh, probably where we got the name from! Best regards to our Arab brothers.