The Origin of the Qatari ‘Bisht’

Chances are, you’ve probably worn something like this too

A great final between Argentina and France and a fitting end to an excellent tournament.

I’m seeing a lot of noise online about the Arab ‘bisht’ which was put on Messi by the Emir. What’s the issue?

First of all — a nice move; well played Qatar — :)

Secondly, it’s nothing new and not a big deal.

Pele wore the sombrero after winning the World Cup in 1970, hosted in Mexico. This is something which represented the host culture, going back 500 years, and he was happy to wear it.

In the 2004 Athens Olympic games, the host nation and organisers put an olive wreath on the head of all medalists — which represented their tradition and was a throwback to the original Olympic games. Again, a nice touch, it brings that bit of heritage and authenticity to proceedings.

In the same way, the Arab bisht is a cloak given to bestow honour, status and grace upon the recipient. Chances are if you’ve been to university anywhere in the world, you’ve worn a cousin or ancestor of this.

Its origin comes from Muslim academia, where students of Islamic ‘madrassas’ in the golden age of Islam dressed in these robes on graduating. Jack Goody in…