Qatar’s culture was widely celebrated by millions of foreigners during the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The thobe and ghitra will become the official uniform for Qatari students between sixth and 12th grade at Qatar Foundation (QF), local paper Al Raya reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the Doha daily learned that the decision will come into effect starting from the next educational calendar and applies to all QF pre-university schools except the Qatar Leadership Academy.

Non-Qatari students will have the option to either stick to the regular uniform or wear the traditional attire. The policy will not affect female students.

Parents at the pre-university schools have already been informed about the decision, which it said to fall under QF’s commitment to promote the Qatari culture.

The educational entity also said its decision aims to “instill a sense of cultural belonging”, as reported by Al Raya.

The traditional thobe is a long, white piece of attire with buttoned sleeves that men in Qatar and the rest of the Gulf region commonly wear. Completing the traditional look, the ghitra is a long white material that is held in its place by an e’gal, a circular black piece.

The decision comes months after Qatar’s culture was widely celebrated by millions of foreigners during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first to ever take place in an Arab and Muslim country.

Throughout the major event, tourists flocked to Souq Waqif to purchase the traditional attire while donning it as they cheered for their teams at stadiums.

Following Argentine’s win at the World Cup, the bisht became a new fan favourite after Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani wrapped it around Lionel Messi.

The bisht is a traditional cloak for men that is part of the region’s ancient heritage and is worn in special ceremonies while being known to be a symbol of royalty.

Last month, Qatar’s Ministry of Culture’s Department of Heritage and Identity announced a bid to include the traditional cloak in the upcoming World Heritage Day 2024.