Celebrating traditional Emirati dress: Clothing once owned by sheikhas brought out of storage for one-off shoot


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In a unique collaboration, The National's Luxury magazine was granted rare access to the archive of The Zay Initiative, an expansive collection of traditional clothing from across the region, collated by Dr Reem El Mutwalli.

The aim is to place a spotlight on the incredible wealth of clothing from this part of the world, so two collections were taken out of storage for the day.

Scroll through the gallery above to see the Luxury shoot.

First are precious bespoke looks once owned by sheikhas and other high-profile Emirati women, who passed them on them to The Zay Initiative.

The second is the Artist series, where The Zay Initiative asked female artists in the UAE to hand-paint a silk panel that was then transformed into a 'thawb kandurah'.

Dedicated to collecting and documenting the rich history of clothing in this region, The Zay Initiative also records the deeply personal stories that go with each piece, from how it was made to who owned it. As the UAE races into the 21st century, much of this sartorial knowledge risks being lost.

An expert in her field, Dr El Mutwalli spent 20 years collating at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, where she built the Sultani Collection, on which The Zay Initiative was founded. Raised in the UAE and holding a PhD in Islamic Art, Dr El Mutwalli is uniquely placed to help preserve this priceless heritage.

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If you go

The Flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.

The trip

Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
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ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

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