Clothes for Egypt

Jun 18, 2008
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6
I am going to Egypt in December. I am a blonde American. I would like to dress properly, with no skin showing, or at least not much. Any suggestions on easy fitting pants and loose tops? I am not into preppy...and it would be nice to come back to the and wear the clothes again. I want as casual as I can get because it IS a vacation.

Thanks!

pS; How come when I subscribe to threads I don't always get alerted?
xo
 
I have been to Egypt several times over the past years. I dont know how to help you with your clothes shopping but I agree that you should dress properly with not much skin showing because they are not that used to foreign women and tend to stare a lot!! After all it all depends on where exactly are you going there? Each place kind of differs from the other.
 
As a rule (I lived in the Horn last year), you probably should not show shoulders or knees.

Even a v-neck might get you some stares or unwelcome comments. I have a friend in Cairo right now and she loves it there.
 
I lived in a place that is 100% Muslim for 5 months. I am a 21 year old blonde girl. I didn't wear anything tight, nor did I wear anything that showed my knees or shoulders. I suppose it depends what areas you will be traveling to, but I would personally go on the more conservative side with your clothes, especially since your blonde hair will attract a lot of attention.
 
I went to egypt several years ago in January. I just wore modest sweaters, jeans and khakis. I was just on a tour, and we did a lot of sightseeing, so I wanted to be covered but comfy.
 
I travel to the middle east every two years and I would suggest that you just wear jeans and a t shirt. You can wear any jeans you normally wear, as long as they are long and cover your legs, and when you bend down your shirt covers any potential exposure one would usually have when bending over. Oh and the shirt should be normal; no v-neck. Sure you might still get looks for being from out of the country, but it wont be looks for dressing inappropiately.

It might be cold around december though so bring a sweater or jacket!
 
I would pack modest clothes for warm and cool weather. On an Egypt visitor information website it said that the average temperature in December was about 68 degrees as a high, and just under 50 degrees as a low. (This was for Cairo.) I'm not sure if that's correct though.

I just watched a movie in world history about Egypt! It looked totally amazing, hope you have a great time.
 
totally envious!! :nuts:

i had a similar conversation with my ex boyfriend and his cousins awhile ago (they are Egyptian), and came to the conclusion that bare thighs (shorts) were considered way more inappropriate than say, cleavage.:shrugs: correct me if i'm wrong, but for example, say jeans and a cami would be considered less revealing than a t shirt and shorts.... :hrmm:.
and me coming from a tropical country, found that pretty interesting!:yes:
 
My first thought would be khakis, but since you don't like preppy clothing, think cargo pants and looser fitting t-shirts. I don't mean really baggy shirts, just not tight ones.

Egypt is pretty liberal since tourism is huge, but if you've never been to a 'conservative' country before, you may still feel a little strange with all the stares you get.
 
Cairo (not sure if thats where you will be going tho) will be quite chilly in December. I think if you dress weather appropriate like sweaters, pants and jeans you should be fine. Dress comfortably and what your normal style is - dont be too worried about it as long as you arent showing alot of skin you should be ok.
 
Tunics and linen slacks are fantastic for Egypt .. During December it's 22C to 31C. At nigh especially in the desert the temperature is lower.

You can get inspired and well educated about what is considered modest and fashionable in the Muslim world from this nice blog: http://hijabstyle.blogspot.com/

Non muslim and many muslim women do not wear a hiijab in Egypt, unless they visit a mosque. A head scarf covering the hair is mandatory inside the mosques.
 
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I have never been to the middle east. The cultural differences in modesty are so great than where I live. What is the philosophy behind the modesty? Is it strictly religious humility, or is it more related to sexual modesty too? Aren't men expected to be modest too? If not, why? Can anyone enlighten me? I basically understand, but are there other nuances I dont get about "why"?
 
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^ Middle east has many countries, most are Arabic/Muslim. Some countries are religious, and the women (and men) live their lives according to the Koran and other countries are westernized.
Men are supposed to be equally modest as women.

Read this article about the Hijab and dressing requirements by the Koran http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/whatishijab.html

Thanks for the article! It was informative.

Two questions if I may. I didnt understand this part:

"The Prophet Muhammad (S) stated that in later generations of his ummah there would be "women who would be dressed but naked and on top of their heads (what looks like) camel humps. Curse them for they are truly cursed." (Muslim)"

Secondly, a question about makeup. Why do some women wear heavy eye makeup? When I think of modesty, that is one of first images in my mind. Maybe makeup is considered more provocative in the west? I was just curious. Thanks again.
 
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