The Arabs in Jerusalem can be seen wearing many different head dress styles. The keffiyeh means “kerchief” or scarf in English.
Many Palestinian men and women wear keffiyeh of cotton and wool mix, which lets them dry quickly and help keep the head warm in winter. The keffiyeh is usually folded in half, into a triangle, and the fold is worn across the forehead.
The black-and-white keffiyeh is a symbol of Palestinian heritage.
The red-and-white keffiyeh is worn throughout the Arab regions, but is most strongly associated with Jordan, where it is known as shmagh mhadab.
A kefiyeh can also signal a person’s status in society. It has been used by Bedouins throughout the centuries and was used as a symbol of honor and tribal identification.
Here are some different examples of keffiyeh worn by Arabs in Jerusalem.
Many Christian Arab women also cover their heads. Their head coverings usually signify their religious order and are not worn as symbols of nationality. In recent years, some Palestinian Christian Arab men and youths, have begun to wear Palestinian national keffiyehs as scarves if not as head coverings.
Keffiyeh is often spelled kefiyah, kaffiyah, keffiya, kaffiya, and kufiya depending on dialect and region.