Travelling to Iran: What to Wear?
Having a clothing strategy for Iran is as important as having flights booked or some sort of accommodation pre-arranged.
It’s just one of the main parts of the planning process. Coming from a non-Islamic country, it can feel daunting to try to nail the right technique of covering yourself up in a proper way.
In this post I’m going to share the strategy that I used for my 2 week trip around Iran. I did quite a lot of research with books (like Lonely Planet - they always know), online resources and other female bloggers’ posts. And in the end, I tested it out!
TravelGeekery is no fashion blog. No pretty poses in the newest fashion trends. But when it comes to travel, we often know what we’re doing! The response to my post about What to Wear in Morocco has been tremendous. So I hope you’ll like this one too :)
Main pieces of clothing for a summer trip to Iran
You might have noticed there’s no post about packing tips here on TravelGeekery. It’s for a reason! I’m still fighting with it myself. Unfortunately I’m hardwired with the mindset that If I don’t need it, I’ll pack it anyway, what if I'll need it?
But getting there! And the trip to Iran was a great test to my skills.
I chose the following pieces to take on the trip with me:
- 2x long-sleeved T-shirt (of which one was thermo-regulating)
- 2x loose pants
- 1x pair of leggings
- 1x loose long dress
- 1x loose knee-long dress
- 2x tunic
- 3x scarf
- 2 pairs of shoes: sporty trekking sandals & Tom’s
Of these staples, I created over 10 different combinations. Enough to last 2 weeks. Not that you need a different outfit each day, though! I could have easily gotten by with removing (at least) the following items: 1 scarf, leggings, 1 tunic and perhaps even the knee-long dress.
Iran-bound flight - how to dress?
You're quite free to choose. But out of respect, you should be wearing Iran appropriate clothes already on the flight there. However, it's enough to put the headscarf on only once you land in Iran.
What needs to be covered in Iran
Generally speaking: no hair, no cleavage, no shoulders or upper arms, no legs above the ankles.
Leggings are ok as long as you have a tunic/dress/shirt covering you up at least to your mid-thighs. If you follow these simple rules, you’ll be fine.
Men have it simpler – they just shouldn’t show their legs and upper arms.
There are, however, many subtle details when it comes to women’s clothing:
Hair: In Tehran and in big cities in the North the rules are slightly more relaxed. You must have the scarf basically just on the top of the head. Your hair can get out in front.
Arms: In most places it’s fine to have lower arms exposed. Just in the more conservative South I recommend that you opt for having your entire arms covered.
Legs: It’s ok if your pants are a tiny bit above the ankles, but don’t let them travel more!
Feet: Good news! You can have your feet exposed! Use this privilege to the fullest, as that’s the only body part that can fully breathe.
Overall, you as a foreigner, are doing enough just by trying. And don’t worry if you don’t get everything right. The friendly locals will most likely warn you before the moral police does.
Did locals stare at me? You bet! But not because I’d wear something inappropriate, more so just because I stood out. And who’s not curious about foreigners in less touristy places? I would be!
Dealing with heat in Iran
Ok, it’s really hot in Iran in summer (except the mountain peaks). And you might not be used to wearing so much in such heat.
Your secret weapon? Airy fabrics! The baggier the better. Linen, cotton, … all the materials that can breathe are you friend. Stay away from polyester.
Still not enough? Bring with you a refreshing water spray. It works like charm.
How Iranians dress
Iranian ladies typically wear long pants and a tunic or a coat called ‘manteau’ reaching to mid-thighs or knees. And a scarf, of course.
They also usually rely on darker shades of clothing. Elderly ladies do pure black, younger generation throws in more colors. You can often see women with heavy makeup on, as if compensating for the inability to show their hair.
Iranian women are so beautiful! You’ll see also quite a few who’ll wear floral dresses with matching scarves. It’s the nomadic tribe members who wear colorful clothes like that.
Little girls do not have to have their hair covered. They start some time between the age of 9 and 14, so their outfits can vary greatly.
As for men, you’ll again see all kinds of outfits, but the most typical are long pants plus a T-shirt or a button down shirt. They are usually dressed very well. Most of the young Iranian men we met had PhD degrees and wore fitting button downs.
Don’t let the clothing rules bother you too much and just go explore this amazing country! You won’t believe how beautiful it is and how friendly the locals are. See my other post that I wrote about the country and its people. I was really mesmerized.
And here's a link straight to the Iran edition of Lonely Planet guidebook for you to check out.
Another good resource I found is a local girl's guide to dressing up for Iran - see it here.
You'll have to get ready for a few more things than only clothing. See a full list of Iran tips here.
Have you been to Iran or are you planning to go? Have you already been to an Islamic country where you had to cover up? Let me know in the comments!
Lovely pinners, here are some pins for you :)
What a great post Veroninka!
You've really made packing quite simple and easy to do. I've been to Egypt, Tunisia and Qatar. Both Egypt & Tunisia were easier to travel in, as I was mostly in a tourist-friendly area. However, we took a train out into a smaller town, spent the night there, and then rented a car so that we could drive to the Sahara Desert! Locals were extremely curious as my boyfriend (in the 90's) then was blond and blue-eyed. so we didn't hold hands, and told them that we were married!
We went to Qatar two years ago, and this time I was travelling with my husband (green-eyed brunette) and son, so I wore a long sleeved print summer shirt and white (straight-legged) jeans, with a summer scarf! Unsurprisingly, the fact that my husband and son were travelling with me, impressed the locals, who treated me in a most respectful manner lol!
Hello Victoria, nice to hear from you! :) Thanks for sharing your experience. It sounds wonderful! Exploring smaller towns off the beaten path is fun in any country, let alone in Egypt or Tunisia! Great to hear you were treated well also in Qatar. Curiosity is good, I prefer it to ignorance!
Hello dear Veronika. i'm so delighted to read and see your information and pictures about Iran.
i appreciate you for sharing your experience with others to know more about my country, Iran.
i'm a tour guide for foreign travelers for 9 years and have activity as a tour planner.
i'll become so happy to have services for you and every one that is interested to travel to Iran.
this is my email: [email protected]
i'm looking forward your response.
Best Regards
Sima
Thank you, Sima.
The closest I've been is Myanmar. I had to do a lot of research beforehand to make sure we were covered, but not in such a way that we would be unable to enjoy our time. Myanmar wasn't as strict, but it was expected that you would remain covered (athough we had some leeway walking around the streets in our tshitrs, we had light jackets stowed in our day-packs for temples or other sacred places.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Katie! I haven't been to Myanmar yet. But in all places where religion is important, it's advisable to not walk around in tank tops and ultrashort skirts.. We need to show respect to the locals! :)
This is getting me pumped for my trip to Iran in November!
i was looking a useful article about my country in english for send to a friend , she will travel to iran , your article was very useful for me,thank you, i am a archaeologist , i have very information about historical place in iran .if you and everyone need those , i can help
Thank you, Moh! Happy to hear you found the article helpful. I'm sure she'll enjoy her trip to Iran as much as I did! :)
Hi dear,
I'm so glad you enjoyed your travel to Iran :))
As you mentioned, the rules are not really strict in big cities like Tehran, Shiraz, Isfahan and Tabriz. And the police almost never picks on tourists so you shouldn't worry about that ;) As for your male friends, they don't have to wear pants, knee-long shorts are ok too. In the northern cities of Iran you can almost wear anything! Because the northern part of Iran has a completely different culture compared to the central and southern parts.
Thank you for saying Iranian women are beautiful :)) so are you. And you are right about the heavy make up some Iranian women use. It's really a pity that they hide their faces behind such a mask.
I hope you'll travel here again and this time you know you don't have to worry much about the dress code and I hope you'll visit lots of new places ;)
Thanks a lot, Mary! I will definitely travel to Iran again and can't wait to explore more of your beautiful country! Many greetings from Prague :)
Hi !
Really happy that u enjoyed ur travel to my lovely country!
I want to make a point about the way we wear clothes in Iran:
our official religion is ISLAM, (as in many countries may be christianity) .Human beings believe that "religion " is an instruction our God has sent to us by the messengers, so what would be better than following our Creator's instrunction in every aspect of our lives( if a religion is complete & perfect, it must have instructions for all aspects of life: from " foreign policy" to " how to have sex with ur lover")
As a result, we choose God's Words as our constitution( 98.2 of iranian voted to "islamic republic of iran:yes , constitution will be ratificated by people" in march 30,31 1979 referendum. Voters were +16 .there was a referendum because u cannot oblige people to salvate) 1 of the islam rules confirmed in Holy Quran is to clothe all the body except hands from wrist & face ,in addition, not to make up.u can even find such instructions in Holy Bible & Turah ,besides, strict wearing norms were applied in christian societies at least until 200 years ago.
To be honest , aren't women naturally more beautiful & attractive than men?
If so, won't there be distractions or pleasure when a woman attends in the society to study, work,etc. with her natural beauty?
In Islam there are certain relatives that there is no necessity to wear hijab before them who are called "maharem"(like father,brother,nephew,...).The thing is a woman can marry e.o except those relatives! It means:i won't announce my beauty unless a man prooves he deserves it(&becomes my wife) .
Does it limit women?
Of course it is not easy to wear scarf while u are outdoors in public, but there are lots of stidents,doctors,housewives,correspondants, news reporters,engineers,marketers,..... living in this way.(did u know based on the statistics from 2006_2016, 49to 61 percent of university entrants are girls?)
So,if s.o doesn't apply mentioned way of clothing,is not muslim & just obliged to obey the rules? Come on! Every individual must try to become perfect, but who is now? Maybe she applies lots of other parts of Islam to her life, but not this one.
Chador? How do u bare it?
Well, when s.o chooses chador knowingly, it is not s.th to be tolerated. The name ,coloar & the style of chador is totally iranian.It refers to Achaemenian( reference:the story of civilization:will durant_ As this sort of women clothing has been strictly used in ancient Iran, he even believed that hijab is an Iranian subject, not Islamic at all.u know, this part isn't true!).
For more information, visit this page
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Mutahhari%2C%20Murtaza
There are english translations of some of MURTAZA MUTAHHARY's books.2 of them are about womens' right in Islam. He is an Iranian muslim clergyman who was murdered at May 2 1979. His thoughts & books are still fresh!
Thnx 4 reading such a long .....
U'll be ensured & convinced if u, urself check the names, dates & statistics;)
Hi, Heading to Iran from Ireland in 3 weeks.
Your information has been invaluable!
Thanks!
Glad I could help, Ciara. Enjoy the trip! :)
Hi
nice post veronika
I'm from Iran and ready to show you a better view from iran (this is not a post to make money just spreading love and making some good friends from all around the world)
shawn
from north of Iran
Hello Shawn, thank you! Where from the North are you? I will one day travel to Iran again, I'm sure about that. Just don't know when yet :)
Many greetings from Prague!
Thank you so much for the tips , im traveling to Iran in a few days and i was a little confused about what can i wear , what i cannot . but you made it easy for me .And specially about the linen or cotton , i thought if i took polyester ill be fine , but guess not . Thank again for the tips :* Have a lovely day , and im more then excited to go to Iran .
I'm so happy to hear this, Gabriela! Get some airy clothes and enjoy your trip to Iran :)