Why Omanis are required to dress up

ABDULLAH, AN ELEGANT young Omani, says he can tell instantly if someone has bought his dishdasha off the peg, since its cuff would not sit perfectly on the wrist. Like Oman’s government, Abdullah is proud of his national dress, a white garment like a dress shirt that flows down to the ankle. Many Omani men also wrap their head with a turbaned, embroidered headscarf known as a massar. It is a fine sight. The sultan, Haitham bin Tariq al-Said, who ascended the throne two years ago on the death of his long-ruling cousin, Qaboos, intends to keep it that way.