The keffiyeh / kufiya (Arabic: كوفية, kūfiyyah, plural كوفيات, kūfiyyāt), also better known as a ghutrah (غُترَة) or shemagh (شماغ), and also known by some as ḥaṭṭah (حَطّة), mashadah (مَشَدة), or in Persian chafiye (چَفیِه), and in Kurdish cemedanî ( جه مه داني), is a traditional Arab headdress fashioned from a square, usually cotton, scarf. It is typically worn by Arab men, as well as some Kurds.
It is commonly found in arid regions to provide protection from direct sun exposure, as well to protect the mouth and eyes from blown dust and sand. Its distinctive woven check pattern may have originated in an ancient Mesopotamian representation of either fishing nets or ears of grain, but the true origin of the pattern remains unknown. [source: wiki]
For decades, keffiyeh have been issued to British soldiers who now, almost exclusively, refer to them as shemaghs. Their use by some units and formations of the military and police forces of the former British Empire and subsequent Commonwealth dates back to before the Second World War. Since the beginning of the War on Terror (used to specifically refer to the ongoing military campaign led by the US, UK and their allies against organizations and regimes identified by them as terrorist), these keffiyeh / shemagh, usually cotton and in military olive drab or khaki with black stitching, have been adopted by US troops as well, a reversal of previous policy which saw them strictly forbidden during the Gulf War (2 August 1990 – 28 February 1991).
