Burqas

Yesterday I went to Al-Bathaa, downtown Riaydh, one of the oldest sections of the city, known for its cheap shopping and lodging. Among other things, I went with a goal in mind...I wanted to buy some burqas!! Monica and Vanessa, I got your burqas:).
What most people don't know is that the word burqa only refers to the head-covering part. The dress, which covers the rest of the body and normally worn over the usual daily clothing, is known as 'abaya'.

So, the full garment is composed by the abaya and the burqa, which on its turn is normally composed by 2 pieces: the face-veil portion and the head-scarf. In Al-Bathaa you can buy almost anything and the good thing is that the shops are grouped by the kind of stuff they sell.

To find the abayas/burqas shops we just had to look for the 'darkest' section of the market:)

I was able to take a picture with my mobile of one of the burqa shops. I had to be very quick not to be caught so the quality is quite poor. The other picture is just an impression from the area.