keffiyeh... where did it come from?

so i know the triangle scarves have been the new trend all over the fashion market, but when i first saw them, they reminded me of my childhood right away. i spent 6 years growing up in riyadh, saudia arabia, and while living there all i saw were these triangle scarves--and that was over 14 years ago. 

i guess the saudi men were way ahead of the game... 

so when did such traditional scarves become so trendy? and why? here's a little history of where the triangle scarf stemmed from. 

the keffiyeh (arabic), also known as the yashmagh (turkish), ghutrah, hattah, or mashadah is a traditional headdress arab men wore. it was a square shaped cotton cloth folded and wrapped into a triangle, or other various styles, around the head. it was worn to protect from sun exposure, as well shielding the mouth and eyes from dust and sand blowing in the air. the distinctive woven check pattern originated in an ancient mesopotamian representation of fishing nets or ears of grain. 

in palestine, red and black colored scarves were usually worn--but 

from experience, black signified palestine, and red signified saudi or jordanian heritage. bedouins have used the scarf as a symbol of honor and tribal identification for centuries. 

the western world started adapting versions of the keffiyeh when people saw arabs as part of allies of world war I. so the scarf started becoming a part of theatrical wardrobe in western films. in the 1980s. girls started following arabs in the west who were wearing scarves proudly to represent their arab heritage. the keffiyeh became fashionable and was seen on famous people like the lead singer of nine inch nails and models. bohemian girls started wearing keffiyehs as scarves around their necks--so i guess the 80s really is back, in more ways than one. 

urban outfitters was one of the first stores to promote the keffiyeh fashion, but after some controversy pulled the item. the controversy was because the scarf was supposed to me more than just a fashion trend, to arabs (especially palestine with the war going on) it was a sense of nationalism and cultural pride. other controversies dealing with the keffiyeh have come up as well; some of which were righteous, some not. 

balenciaga's 2007 line set the scarves on fire, causing them to really hit the fashion world by storm--everyone wanted to wear them. different colors like purple, green, blue, and yellow started appearing as well. and now not only are keffiyeh's in fashion, but so are all kinds of triangle scarf versions...