Guests of the Sheik

The abayah, a cloak worn by women only, is symbolic of the struggle between modernity and tradition in El Nahra as well as in Iraq at large. It manifests in a variety of ways according to the viewpoint of each character. To Elizabeth, the abayah initially represents degradation and oppression, and she is apprehensive about donning it in order to help Bob with his work in El Nahra. However, she eventually views it as a protective garment and comes to a more nuanced understanding of what it represents to the women of El Nahra. She recognizes that a majority of them wear the abayah by choice and do not want to discard it. Elizabeth also notes that Bob is unable to tell her apart from other women during a pilgrimage because he was not raised in El Nahra’s society and cannot “detect the subtle details—the way the head is turned, the gesture with which the abayah is adjusted” (220). After living among the women of El Nahra, Elizabeth can tell all of her female friends apart even under cover of the abayah.

Despite the fact that many of the women do not perceive the abayah as an oppressive garment,