Iraq. Baghdad. Iraqi women league. A widow wears the niqab and the abaya. She has lost her husband in january 2004 who got sick from the years spent in jail and tortured by the Saddam Hussein regime. The abaya, sometimes also called aba, is a simple, loose over-garment, essentially a robe-like dress, worn by some women in parts of the Islamic world. Traditional abaya are black and may be either a large square of fabric draped from the shoulders or head or a long caftan. The abaya covers the whole body except the face, feet, and hands. It can be worn with the niqab, a face veil covering all but the eyes. Some women choose to wear long black gloves, so their hands are covered as well. A niqab is a cloth which covers the face, worn by some Muslim women as a part of sartorial hijab. 20.02.04 © 2004 Didier Ruef