The History of the Abaya

An old name, a young form. How a simple cloak became part of modern Emirati identity — and the embroidered dress that is worn beneath it.

Where does the word “abaya” come from?

The word is old. Classical Arabic dictionaries describe the ʿabāʾ (عباءة) as a well-known woollen wrap, often striped. Historians of Middle Eastern dress describe it as a loose, sleeveless cloak, open at the front, worn widely across Arabia. For a long time, the cloaks worn by women in Arabia were almost indistinguishable from those worn by men.

The men’s version lives on as the bisht, the ceremonial cloak worn at weddings and celebrations. In 2025, UNESCO recognised the skills and practices of the bisht — “men’s Abaa” — as intangible cultural heritage, in a joint file from nine Arab states, including the United Arab Emirates.

What did Emirati women wear before the abaya?

Before oil, the outer cloak was not everyday dress in what is now the UAE. Most women wore a loose, wide-sleeved thawb over a kandura and embroidered sirwal trousers, with a shayla over the head and upper body. Many married women also wore the burqa — the Emirati face mask, not the full-length garment the word means elsewhere. Fabrics arrived by sea from India, Iran and beyond.

According to oral histories gathered by dress historian Dr Reem El Mutwalli, the aba was expensive and rare. Families who owned one sometimes lent it to others — for example, to cover a bride as she walked to her new family’s home. As older women told her:

“This practice is only recent. It came with the oil.”

How did the abaya change with oil and the city?

From the 1960s, as wealth, cities and travel grew, the black silk abayat ras — draped from the crown of the head — spread. In the 1970s a lighter, sheer silk aba became popular with Emirati and Qatari women, worn in a distinctly Emirati way: draped from the head and gathered at the waist in both arms, so that the dress beneath could be seen.

In the 1980s, as young women went to university and into work, the shoulder abaya with fitted sleeves took over, worn with a narrower shayla. Embroidery on dresses moved to the front of the bodice, where it showed through the opening of the abaya. The change was gradual, and sources differ on exact years.

From cover to couture

In the 1990s abayas became more decorative: richer fabrics, embroidery, rhinestones and crystals, mostly black on black, with shaylas made to match. The Umaniyah, a cross-over style fastened at both shoulders, became popular; it is believed to have arrived through Saudi Arabia with travel for Hajj. Lace was used to let the dress beneath show through.

The early 2000s were a time of experimentation — narrow waists, wide belts, hoods. Dubai designers began to build whole labels around the abaya: Rabia Z, for example, launched in 2002 and won the Emerging Designer Award at Dubai Fashion Week in 2007. By around 2011, couture abayas were sold in Dubai department stores and shown at fashion weeks in Dubai and London. In January 2016 Dolce & Gabbana presented its first abaya and hijab collection, and in December 2017 Dubai hosted its first Modest Fashion Week.

Today the abaya comes in colour and in many cuts, and is often an outfit in its own right.

What is a mukhawar?

The mukhawar (مخوّر) is not a kind of abaya. It is a full-length Emirati dress, worn on its own or beneath the abaya. Its name comes from khuwar (خوار), the local word for embroidery — a mukhawar is, quite literally, an embroidered dress. The work sits at the neck, chest and cuffs, traditionally in zari, a gold- or silver-coloured metallic thread, or in talli.

Simple cotton mukhawars are worn every day; embroidered silk ones are kept for Eid, weddings and family occasions. The dress has never stood still: in the 1970s Emirati embroidery borrowed many Indian patterns, and today’s mukhawars often add frills and stones.

What is talli embroidery?

Talli (تلي), also known as alseen, is a hand-braided trim. In UNESCO’s description, it is usually made of six cotton threads with a silver thread in the middle. The braid is worked on a cushion held on a stand called the kajooja, then stitched onto collars, cuffs and hems. The skill is passed from mothers to daughters, and today also through courses and heritage centres. Demand is highest before Eid and the summer wedding season. In 2022, UNESCO inscribed Al Talli on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Where My Amal fits

My Amal is a made-to-order atelier in Dubai, working since 2020. We make evening, urban and mukhawar pieces in Korean Nada, silk, chiffon, velvet and French Guipure lace, often finished with hand embroidery and stones. We don’t claim to be the tradition. We work in a city where it is still being written, and we try to make pieces worthy of the occasions they are worn to.