Head Cover

This is a man's winter head cover called ghutra shaal. The name shaal comes from Persian/Urdu and lends its name to the English word ‘shawl’. The cashmere used for the ghutra shaal comes from the soft hair of the underbelly of Kashmiri mountain goats, and it was imported from northern India, possibly through Oman.
It is square-shaped cashmere, embroidered on the frame and four corners with polychrome wool thread. Each corner is decorated with a dark red or black petunia (botaih or boteh), the Indian flower design. A wide band of embroidery in the shape of a square surrounds the corner patterns.

The use of this type of ghutra was widespread throughout the Gulf region and was common among sheikhs and dignitaries. The ghutra is worn down the shoulder with an agal on top to hold it in place. This type of ghutra is still worn today during winter. During summer, men typically wear a white cotton ghutra.