Desert Survival, why do Arabs wear so many clothes?

I still think it's a pure cultural thing. I've lived and worked hard, in the sun, in the low desert my whole life. The only people I've seen in robes are getting their morning paper. Long sleeves and a brimmed hat get it done. Apache, Papago, Navajo, Yavapai, Zuni, et. al., didn't either. It would be tough to get through the brush and cacti in a robe.:) Regards, ss.
 
The best way to tell would be to get a group on either side to try the other's system and see who liked what.

Economy may be involved also, and technology. What most efficient materials are available and where.
 
nephildevil said:
many animals get killed cruelly for no reason at all, thats way worse than "offending people"

i was just using "free speech" and saying my opinion on that subject
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There's a subtle difference between discussing different cultures and their practices and passing judgement on their conformity to your ideals.

This particular forum is really good at respectful conversation. Please keep it that way.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
There's a subtle difference between discussing different cultures and their practices and passing judgement on their conformity to your ideals.

This particular forum is really good at respectful conversation. Please keep it that way.
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It's hardly subtle and claims of 'exercising free speech' does not protect you from being called a boor.
 
To my knowledge, American Indians do not live in THE most arid climate zone, (I don't even think we have that zone in the US), and do not contend with the same kinds of sand storms that would require longer garb. In the SW much of the earth is so dry that it just cracks and is never airborne; there are dust storms and dusts devils but not that type of arid desert sand- except maybe at White Sands Missile Range? -is that is technically sand? Some of the SW's earth is clay. Other tribes live on plains with grass.

I would want those robes to mitigate the effects of the sand.
 
Yuma has comparable sand dunes. At one time, the highest rate of annual evaporation ever recorded (165") was at Whitlow Dam, 30 miles from Phoenix. Not all of the Middle East is sand dunes, or in climatic extremes. I worked in AZ in the silt bed of the Gila River and at Lake Havasu City, in temperatures over 120 F. Sky Harbor Airport was shut down four years ago because passenger jets were not rated above 118 (I think) degrees. There are many lesser known tribes that lived in these conditions as well as the Papago and Pima. Thus, my opinion.:) Regards, ss.

BTW- the earth cracks are caused by pumping irrigation water from deep wells. the av. precip here is 9". Auto insurance claims from sand blasting are common, and I 10 is shut down for dust storms every year- just a few more items to make comparisons. ss
 
Protection from the sun. I live in northern California, and we have some pear orhards, and grape vinyards. Its pear harvest now here, and I see that the pickers, 99% Mexican, And I notice that they always waer long sleave shirts and hats, and long pants, even though it is in the upper 90s. It conserves water loss due to evaparation.
 
I've read that the black robes provide a microclimate. The sun heats the robe. The robe heats the air inside. Hot air rises. You end up with an internal breeze carrying sweat away and helping you feel cool. I don't know if that actually works, but it does make sense.
 
From my limited understanding about Kosher and Halal slaughtering practices. The animals are bled to death which is a relatively painless way to die, you just go to sleep. I've been a cow five times so far. The best time I had was in India and I lived a long life. The second time my end came in the kosher manner and was peaceful. The third time I was cracked in the head with a sledge, one time I lived in Tanzania and they used to poke and my neck and sip my blood every so often. I think i was bled out at my end there too and I went to sleep. The Masai wear robes too BTW which I found quite stylish. The last time I was a cow I was electrocuted, not nice. My whole life I had my head between two steel bars.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
There is no reason to think pork goes bad in the Middle East any faster than beef or mutton or goat. There is some reason to believe that pigs are ecologically less effective outside of well-watered or forested areas.

Reading the thread, I was wondering if darker clothes might not serve as a better sunscreen, then someone posted a reference to light skin being common in cold climates and dark skin in hot climates. Of course -- dark skin screens out the heavy solar radiation.

Ideally, Arab style clothing should have at least one dark inner layer but a white outer layer, if only thermal efficiency was the point.
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My wife is from peru. The first year she was here she bought a one piece swimsuit that had navy blue and white stripes. After a long day of tanning by the pool, she came in the apartment and took off her suit. Her skin was very burned under the white stripes and not burned at all under the navy blue stripes. She spent the next 6 weeks looking like a zebra:eek:, so I think Esav's idea about dark colors being better protection from sunburn is right.
 
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

joseph_technicolor.jpg



I can't speak for fixer and bulgron,

But I think I'll just stick to jeans and a T shirt Thank You.:D
 
Also lets not forget the cloths that they wear now were used before by people that had little contect with others for long period of time. Everything they had must have more then one use for. Those robs you see in the sun they would take off in the shade many times. Just think of the Hat you wear. When in the sun you sweat in it alot. but you still feel cooler then if you take it off. It also keeps you from losing water too fast. Now with new cloths we can make now and the plenty of water that you can get anywhere it dont always make sence. Go back to where water and salt were hard to find. For cloth you had mostly wool and some cotton maybe even silk if you were very rich. If you were a sheperd you would find a cool place to sit and spend most of the hot hours of the day there. Think in the term of 300 years ago. I lived in israel for 10 years and been to sini more then a few times. Trust me you want to cover your self from the sun. The nice thing was that i had all the water i could drink. So cotton was the king If you dont do much in the sun heavy robs would keep you very cool. You might be surprised. Just dont do any hard labor during the hot part of the day.

Sasha
 
sasha said:
Also lets not forget the cloths that they wear now were used before by people that had little contect with others for long period of time. Everything they had must have more then one use for... For cloth you had mostly wool and some cotton maybe even silk if you were very rich. If you were a sheperd you would find a cool place to sit and spend most of the hot hours of the day there. Think in the term of 300 years ago. I lived in israel for 10 years and been to sini more then a few times. Trust me you want to cover your self from the sun... So cotton was the king If you dont do much in the sun heavy robs would keep you very cool. You might be surprised. Just dont do any hard labor during the hot part of the day. Sasha
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Yep, that sums it up well. I live in New Mexico, most of which is semi-arid. When possible, I prefer to avoid heavy labor outside in the heat of the day during the summer.

I do agree with the poster who mentioned the difficulty of navigating desert foliage in a loose, flowing robe. The natural fauna around here is cactus, sage, juniper trees, and tumble weeds. Walking around in a robe would invite lots of tears, snags, and stickers in the clothing. So, in my particular area, a relatively tighter-fitting garment would be more functional. Pictures I've seen of older-style, Turkish pants, which were loose and baggy, yet still shaped around the body, come to mind.

One other issue that hasn't been mentioned - skin cancer. Keeping skin covered from intense, prolonged sunlight greatly reduces the risk of skin cancer and the deleterious effects of sun to the skin.
 
555 said:
But I think I'll just stick to jeans and a T shirt Thank You.:D
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Me too.

I don't live in the desert so I don't need to dress like that. Keep in mind Arabs used to travel long distances in the hot deserts and they didn't have air conditioned cars and buildings to take shelter in.
But in modern western society most of the time even if you live in an extraordinarily hot area (like Arizona) you don't really need to wear anything more specialised than jeans and t-shirt.
 
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