One of the most important things that you should consider before traveling to Iran, especially as a female traveler, is what to wear because as you know Iran is one of the countries at which Hijab rule is applied. Since 1979, and after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, wearing Hijab by women has been compulsory and this includes the foreigner female travelers as well as the locals. But let me confirm that you are not required to wear Chadors and no woman wears Burqa in Iran! Usually, one or two days after arriving in Iran, you are going to see that wearing hijab in Iran is much easier than you first thought.
Well, what should you wear as a female traveler in Iran and what should you pack?
Scarf:
To cover your hair, bring some scarves or shawls that cover your hair and the back of your head and are also comfortable to wear. Keeping the scarf on head and stopping them from slipping is a challenge for the females who are visiting Iran for the first time, while some have invented good solutions. Some women use bobby pins to fix the scarf on their hair and some other tie the shawl or the scarf around their head like a turban, which happens to be fashionable, too. Another easy way to wear a headscarf is to tie it under the chin. It is obvious that a silk shawl is not a good choice and cotton textiles tend to adhere more easily to hair.
Manteaus:
Considering the season and the weather you can bring cardigans, trench coats, shomiz, tunics, and even long sleeve blouses from home to cover your upper body. You have many choices here, but anything you wear, it should be long enough to cover your thigh and have long sleeves. A traveler once wore a long manteau with long sleeves, but it was completely open in the back J ! So, be careful of such mistakes.
Trousers:
Those fashionable baggy and loose trousers are the best choice in hot summer weather in Iran, while you are also allowed to wear skinny jeans and tight leggings that reach down to your ankles. Wearing long and loose skirts with a tunic is very trendy in Iran as it both respects the Hijab rule and is quite comfortable.
You may also need to be aware of some notes that help you decide more easily on what to wear in Iran:
- Chadors: In Iran, you are only required to wear Chadors in some mosques and holy shrines and at these places they lend you chadors with bright colors that you can use while visiting. So, you don’t need to consider this while packing.
- Colors: There is no rule against wearing colorful clothes in Iran. Iranian women are wearing manteaus and shawls with happiest colors. So you can pack clothes with colors in harmony or in contrast with the fantastic historical buildings in Iran to take some of those wonderful photos! J
- Sandals: You are allowed to wear sandals even with painted nails in Iran.
- You are free to wear makeup.
- You should keep your Hijab in roofed public places like cinemas and restaurants.
In general, wearing Hijab is not difficult and today Iranian women are wearing outfits with amazing designs and sharp colors, they have invented their styles and we have many professional fashion designers and fashion bloggers who are working on Iranian outfits.
 |
| Female travelers visiting Abyaneh Village. Iran |
