Why Saudi Arabian men decorate themselves with flowers (16 photos)

Some Arab men are crazy about wreaths.





Qahtanites live in Saudi Arabia, and one of their traditions difficult to associate with the strict image of the Arabs. The point is that men people adorn themselves with flowers. They wear wreaths on their heads, and sometimes even flower necklaces on the chest. Photographer Omar visited these people Reda.

The Qahtanites live in the mountainous region of Asir in southwestern Saudi Arabia.



This is a remote and inaccessible area.





Until the 1990s, local settlements could only be reached by rope ladders.



Asir has been well preserved by isolation: people in ancient villages live the same as they did many centuries ago



Locals honor ancient traditions, and one of them is to wear flower wreaths



Moreover, they are worn not by women, but by men, and this tradition is more than two thousand years old.



Some men even dye their beard the color of the wreath.



Probably, the tradition arose as a way to protect against wild animals.



The scents of the flowers hid human scent from predators and allowed crops and animals to be cared for.



There is another version - this is herbal medicine, which is very popular in Saudi Arabia.



Flowers and herbs help Qahtanites fight headaches



Just don't be fooled by these charming portraits of men in flowers.



Qahtanites are a very militant people who rarely let strangers near them.



For example, the Saudi Arabian police may not visit all villages



After all, people here do not live according to the laws of the country, but according to the ancient laws of the peoples