The fouta (also spelled futa; ) is a piece of thin patterned cotton or linen fabric, used in many

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

countries and

Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...

. Among other uses, they were worn, by both men and women, wrapped around the body while at the public baths in 19th-century

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

. In

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

, conservative women wore the fouta draped over their '' sarouel'' garment. Similarly, in some parts of southern

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

, men would wear the fouta as a loincloth beneath their '' thawb'' robes, or just by itself while relaxing at home. Foutas are widely used today in the occidental world as

Turkish bath A hammam (), also often called a Turkish bath by Westerners, is a type of steam bath or a place of public bathing associated with the Islamic world. It is a prominent feature in the culture of the Muslim world and was inherited from the model ...

towels (hammam towels) or even beach towels. It is also used as headwear in

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

some examples could be the Somali aristocracy, Dubats and the general Somali male population who wear it similar to a turban.

References

{{reflist Arab culture Arabic clothing Shawls and wraps Tunisian clothing Saudi Arabian clothing Middle Eastern clothing Culture of Syria Algerian clothing Yemeni clothing

See also

References