So what’s the difference? Based on a little bit of research, my understanding is that it’s primarily a matter of geography, plus a few important details. Both abayas and burqas are full body “cloaks” that women in some Muslim countries must wear when they’re in public. In Saudi Arabia and other countries on the Arabian Peninsula, the cloak covers the shoulders to the ankles and is called an abaya. Women cover their heads with a hijab (headscarf—what we’re used to seeing on women in the States), but most don’t cover their faces. In Afghanistan, the cloak, which is usually blue, starts at the top of the head and is called a burqa. It’s worn in conjunction with a niqab (face veil). Iran also has a cloak, which is called a chador. The image below shows the differences, but I think it’s a little misleading because it suggests a niqab is a cloak, too. My understanding is that it’s just the cloth that covers the face. If there are any experts out there that can help us clear this up, please let us know in the comments!
Our client is buying our abayas and giving them to us when we arrive. We’re not sure if they’ll be loose-fitting polyester robes like in the picture of me below, or more fitted jacket-type coverings which we’ve seen in pictures online. Either way, Saudi Arabian law requires us to wear them in public. That means we’ll be wearing them when we’re eating at restaurants, walking outside (which hopefully won’t be often since it’s 100 degrees there this time of year!), or being driven somewhere. We won’t, however, be wearing them at the college where we’re consulting. Since it’s a women’s college, that means students, staff and traveling female MBAs can remove their abayas once they’re inside the school. We’re told that when a man is on site, the school makes an announcement so that women can re-don their abayas. That makes me wonder if all of the faculty are women, too, but I don’t know the answer yet.
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