Benefits of a keffiyeh in desert conditions

There are many benefits of wearing keffiyeh in different conditions and protective in desert conditions is among many of its benefits. Keffiyeh protects from sun rays and allow our skin to be safe and secure. Desert is a place which can cause many problems including constant sand following towards the face and making the skin harder. Mostly in Arab countries people use keffiyeh because of desert conditions. Below mention are some benefits of keffiyeh in desert conditions.

Some benefits of using keffiyeh in desert conditions:

·         Keep cool: This scarf makes your temperature maintain and if you are using particular colors then it will make it more useful in desert conditions

·         Colors that protect from sun: Keffiyeh comes in different colors and some of the colors are said to be protective and can redirect sun light. in Arab countries people use white clothing to get rid of excessive heat and if your keffiyeh is with these protective colors then it will not only maintain your temperature but also will keep some of the heat away from the body.

·         For excessive sweating: One of the benefits that keffiyeh can provide is you can remove all of the desert sweat from the face and at the same time it will protect you from the sun. The larger size of this great protective material gives you an edge in desert conditions

·         Sand protection: This is one of its obvious benefits that keffiyeh provides. In some countries military use this protection material so that they can't rig of different desert issues that occur. Sand protection is an issue that is common and this keffiyeh can be worn on whole face and you can be assured that no sand will cause difficulty for you.

These were some of the benefits of using this protective keffiyeh in desert conditions. Desert condition doesn't mean that you have to be in a desert but a desert condition can also be refer as when there too much heat and you are unable to walk outside the home without this keffiyeh. While continue to use this keffiyeh make sure that you have following key points in mind.

Some of the points to keep in mind about keffiyeh

• Make sure that you wear it in a proper manner because there is difference between regular scarf and the keffiyeh and that difference is of how you wear it
• There are different types of keffiyeh in market so if you are buying it for desert condition then make sure that you have a material that can protect you. There are  keffiyeh for fashion but in desert condition you will need a keffiyeh that is both fashionable and protective so make sure you keep this point in mind
• This was the evaluation of keffiyeh that will help you to choose best keffiyeh that will surely look good on you and you will be able to protect you face easily. So if you are planning to buy a good thing then choose by keeping above points in mind.

What does the Keffiyeh really mean?

The white and black keffiyeh is a tradition of Arab culture head covering. It's important to note that after Yassif Arafat's keffiyeh wearing become the symbol that shows the Arab world's commitment towards keffiyeh, that meaningless scarf became the Arab world's trademark that show how Arabs consider covering their heads.

There are different colors in keffiyeh and some of them are associated with the political alliances of Palestine. The two of most vibrant keffiyeh colors that are black and white which became associated with fateh while red and white color became the identifier of Hamas. The Arab's keffiyeh not only is for specified colors but also can be worn around the world for different purposed.

In Arab world keffiyeh is worn as a part of clothing, it was noted that 90% of the Arab man wear keffiyeh in their daily life. 

So it can easily be said that keffiyeh is the symbol of beauty and fashion. Many people believe that keffiyeh is worn by the people who resist in Palestine and Israel war, but that is not the case. Keffiyeh is a symbol of fashion, culture and uniqueness that Arab country has share with the world.

There is different meaning of keffiyeh in different people eye but the real fact is that keffiyeh is a garment that people wear so that they can protect themselves from different conditions. Keffiyeh is a symbol of heritage and a willingness to look fashionable and alive. Keffiyeh is a symbol of resistance on individual level where people choose to praise and look like Arabs and wear this beautiful heritage that is in the form of keffiyeh.

There are many condition when this beautiful keffiyeh can be worn and some of the conditions involve wearing this beautiful scarf on desert areas where need of protection is required. Some people might think that keffiyeh is an offensive option but that is not the case, this beautiful cultural scarf is made to look beautiful by keeping the beauty of Arab style in mind. People who think that keffiyeh is an offensive thing then they must try this heritage to know by themselves that this cultural heritage is made to provide protection and fashion both at the same time.

There are different varieties in keffiyeh, you can choose this beautiful wearing material for your daily routine or you can also use in for protection. Keffiyeh come in different styles and colors so you can choose the best design that suits you and name your keffiyeh as you want it to. You can call it fashion, protection, resistance or whatever best suit you. With different keffiyeh comes with different wearing styles, you can choose to cover you whole face with this beautiful scarf or you can also choose to wear it by leaving your front face open. No matter which style you choose, keffiyeh will surely make you look like Arab so that you can enjoy your day with showing Arab fashion, style, uniqueness and heritage to the world. 

Is it offensive to wear a keffiyeh?

There are many people who will say that wearing a certain type of clothing is offensive but sometime this is not always the case. keffiyeh is among some of the clothing that are considered  offensive by the western community but people in east considered it as mean of religion clothing from which they can easily pray without wearing a hat. Following are some of the assessment that why people consider keffiyeh as offensive:

Some points on why keffiyeh is considered offensive by different community:

·         In Muslim countries, people with higher educational background consider it as a bad habit because they believe that wearing keffiyeh is showing that they belong to a certain community

·         In western countries, keffiyeh is considered as aggressive approach and people with specific wearing activities are considered as threads.  Most people who wear keffiyeh cover their faces with it and in international community that is considered bad habit

What Muslim communities say about keffiyeh?

In Muslim world especially in Palestine and Afghanistan, wearing keffiyeh is considered highly religious because people wearing keffiyeh are able to pray anytime without having to cover their head. 

Does color effect the keffiyeh reputation?

·         This is one of the most important considerations because there are different types of scarf in the market but the one which is considered most offensive is black and white color in keffiyeh. Black and white keffiyeh is mostly worn by people who live in places where heat is too high and black and white keffiyeh is used for protection. 

·         If you are choosing black and white keffiyeh for the wearing then people might think that either you are showing that you are religious or you have come from a place where heat is too high. But reputation of keffiyeh is not limited to these comments only.

There are many people with different type of reasons for wearing keffiyeh and it is not considered as good practice and sometime offensive, but keffiyeh wearers also have to keep in mind that people point also matter. Keffiyeh being an offensive approach also depend on the place where you are wearing it, if you live in a country that have western ethics then you might want to consider wearing keffiyeh that suits that particular location. If you carefully consider these points then surely you will have no problem with people considering your type of cloths as offensive. There are also many cases when people with specific clothing are considered offensive and it has been proven that there are many cultures that wear keffiyeh are more aggressive so keeping these points in mind will be helpful. 

Some people prefer not be friendlier with people having these type of wearing habits. So if you are among people who like you wear keffiyeh then recommendation are to make sure that you live among a community that doesn't consider keffiyeh as offensive. These were some of the evaluation of keffiyeh being offensive or not, by keeping about points in mind you can choose to wear keffiyeh on the basis of your surrounding and lifestyle.

: Difference between a regular scarf and a keffiyeh (origins, size, fabric, uses, etc)

People often become confused of the fact that there is a big difference between regular scarf and keffiyeh. Regular scarf come in different shapes and sizes and in the same way keffiyeh is also different from regular scarf because of different factors that we are going to discuss below:

Difference between regular scarf and keffiyeh

·         
 Regular scarf: Sometimes a regular scarf come with specified or one color along with different fabric. One thing that differentiate regular scarf from keffiyeh is the wearing style, a regular scarf can be ware around the neck or in similar way. The most important thing that differentiate regular scarf from keffiyeh is the color selection, regular scarf have colors that are less aggressive and are mixed proportions with different lining and styles. A regular scarf also come in different shapes for both women and man, mostly women scarf are larger in size and for mans there are smaller size that can be worn around the neck.

·         Keffiyeh: A keffiyeh is extension of regular scarfs; the most important part of the keffiyeh is the larger size and colors. Keffiyeh is mostly made by woven cotton cloth that makes it more vibrant and beautiful. A regular size keffiyeh can be from half a meter to one meter in length. There are many uses of keffiyeh; you can use it for dust protection, sun protection, Arabic style wearing, towel and many more.

These were some of the differences between keffiyeh and regular scarf. The origin of keffiyeh is from Arab countries because these countries have more heat problem and people use keffiyeh as a mean to protect from the sun. On the other hand, regular scarf is used for the purpose of fashion around the world, but in some Muslim countries regular scarf is a mean to cover the face as a religious practice. 

There are hundreds of uses of both types of clothing and people who like wearing scarf can easily use them for different purposes. Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate between a regular scarf and a keffiyeh, the most common difference between keffiyeh and regular scarf is the color pattern that both follow and also both of the materials have different set of wearing routine. If you wear keffiyeh in a regular manner then no one can tell whether it is a keffiyeh or regular scarf, keffiyeh wearing is more specific and need to be followed. Keffiyeh need to be covered from the head and leaving some part backward to give more Arabic look to the face but regular scarf can be worn directly without having a specified wearing rule. 

These were the evaluation of difference between regular scarf and keffiyeh; both of the scarfs are most used around the world. Both type of scarf are equally praised and liked by different type of community and if you are looking to purchase one then make sure you know the difference so that you can buy the right thing.

History of the Famous "Herbawi Factory"

The herbawi factory is located in famous city of Palestine “Hebron” which makes keffiyeh. 76 years aged- Yasser herbawi is the founder of this company. He set up the company in 1961. His famous black and white keffiyehs became symbol for the Palestinian freedom struggle. The factory used to produce 150,000 keffiyehs per year by using 15 machines till the early 90’s. At start, 15 men and 25 women were employed for the production of keffiyehs in Herbawi factory. Mr. Herbawi has credit for making a cloth piece that became representation of Palestinian National struggle. The keffiyehs became the benchmark for the effort. Politicians and people struggling for freedom started wearing them in Palestine. Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat made the keffiyeh an official symbol of Palestinian freedom struggle when he started wearing it till his death. Palestinians always wear keffiyehs as a symbol of struggle but this is due to the high quality Herbawi’s keffiyehs that they now are become fashion statement all over the world. Even the people who have nothing to do with freedom struggle and even those who does not know about the keffiyehs history now start wearing it just for a fashion to look chic and trendy. 

According to the owner, Keffiyeh is now globally popular so their family business is now facing decline. As the Chinese nailed the market with their lower prices, the herbawi factory which used to make almost one thousand keffiyehs per day are now producing less than 100. Herbawi factory is making keffiyehs by using just two machines now; producing 300 keffiyehs per week. This is the last running keffiyeh factory now in Palestine. They were up in the market in 70’s but by mid 90’s; they started falling off as the Chinese imports took over the market share. Mr. Herbawi and his two sons are struggling to recapture the market.  They are struggling to keep the ship in the sea but Chinese imports are all on. It is a fact that Chinese keffiyehs are lower in prices but lower in quality as well. Herbawi’s keffiyehs are 100 percent cotton made but the Chinese Keffiyehs are not purely cotton. Mr. Herbawi terms Chinese keffiyehs as garbage.  Mr.herbawi says that his machines are in good condition and he just needs a market to sell out keffiyehs. There are many other reasons of his downfall except Chinese import like declining Palestinian economy due to unstable political situations and Israeli roadblocks and military checkpoints.

Mr. Herbawi says that Chinese makers use poor quality fabric in making keffiyehs. But Herbawi factory is still famous for the high quality keffiyehs as standard in the world. Herbawi’s keffiyehs come in original pattern shapes and color combinations. They range from light black, dark black, dark red, full white, and palestinian flag pattern keffiyeh. Mr. Herbawi is hopeful that if heavy taxes are imposed on China made keffiyehs then the local market can again rise with quality keffiyehs that are globally recognized. The Herbawi’s are sad that the product that ruled out on world for long is on its knees now.

\