We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Fashion

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Keffiyeh?

Tricia Christensen
By
Updated: May 21, 2024
Views: 20,718
Share

The keffiyeh is a type of headdress worn by men in many Arabic countries. It is known by numerous other names, including many alternate spellings of the word keffiyeh. Other names include shemag, yashmag, ghutra, mashada and hatta. The headdress begins as a scarf, which then gets wrapped around the head, and sometimes folded first. Usually a portion of the scarf hangs to the side, which allows men to cover the nose and mouth during heavy winds or sand and dust storms.

This traditional headdress is considered the national symbol of Palestine. You will note many pictures of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat wearing this folded and wrapped scarf. In Palestine, the scarf, typically made of cotton, or cotton and wool, has a spider-web pattern and is often black and white. In other countries keffiyeh may vary in design and color.

In addition to being traditional garb, the keffiyeh serves an incredibly functional purpose. It can keep the head cool under very hot weather, and it also helps keep the head warm in colder temperatures. Natural fibers used to make the scarves assist in allowing breathability and quick drying.

Perhaps ironically, one of the world’s leading producers of these scarves is China. They tend to make them much more cheaply than they can be made in Arabic or African countries. For this reason, China has undercut much of the market in the countries where they are most worn.

To some people, the wearing of the keffiyeh is associated with terrorism, particularly Palestinian left wing terrorist acts of the past like the hijacking in 1969 of a TWA flight. Given Arafat’s penchant for wearing the scarf, it may also represent to some people anti-Semitism or anti-Israeli sentiment. Others view the keffiyeh as a distinctly militant symbol, especially representing the long-standing discord between Israel and Palestine. It would be a mistake to read that much into a traditional headdress, especially one worn in so many different ways, by so many different men, in a vast number of countries.

Given the rise of anti-Arabic sentiment in the west, people wearing a keffiyeh, or anything that resembles one may be viewed with great suspicion by some Westerners. This is definitely shown in a fracas that arose in spring of 2008, led by right wing American journalist Michelle Malkin. She led others to a boycott of the store Dunkin’ Donuts which featured a television advertisement with the well-known cook and talk show host Rachel Ray. Ray appears to be wearing a scarf around her neck that looks somewhat like a keffiyeh, though it is not one.

In response, Dunkin’ Donuts quickly pulled the ad. More middle of the road and liberal press suggested this was a grave over-reaction on both Malkin and Dunkin’ Donuts parts. Keith Olbermann, left-leaning newscaster at MSNBC, waxed poetic about Malkin’s part in freeing the world of “terrorist scarves.”

Share
BeautyAnswered is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Tricia Christensen
By Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a BeautyAnswered contributor, Tricia Christensen is based in Northern California and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her writing. Her wide-ranging interests include reading, writing, medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion, all of which she incorporates into her informative articles. Tricia is currently working on her first novel.
Discussion Comments
By WGwriter — On Jun 07, 2008

Millhouse, Yes this is true, but it's also true that the keffiyeh is worn by many men in numerous Arab countries. It's about as common as blue jeans worn in the US.

Though this symbol was common to a certain militant and terrorist group, it can't be viewed as an indicator of a militant or terrorist, any more than someone who robs a bank in jeans makes all people who wear jeans potential robbers.

By millhouse — On Jun 06, 2008

The kaffiyeh was a Palestinian symbol of their uprising against the British in 1936 to 1939. Some Palestinians equate the kaffiyeh to something akin to the Palestinian flag.

Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
With a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and years of experience as a BeautyAnswered contributor, Tricia...
Learn more
Share
https://www.beautyanswered.com/what-is-a-keffiyeh.htm
Copy this link
BeautyAnswered, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

BeautyAnswered, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.