Where Men Wear Flowers On Their Heads For Beauty And Healing

On the border of Saudi Arabia and Yemen, visitors will encounter images of local men making flowers to put on their heads.
Where men wear flowers on their heads for beauty and healing
French photographer Eric Lafforgue travels to the provinces of Jizan and Asir (Saudi Arabia), located along the Yemeni border to explore its unique culture and take photos of "men with flowers".
For centuries, descendants of the Tihama and Asir tribes have been lovers of wearing flowers on their heads. Photographer Eric shares, when seeing him, the first thing a resident does is put a wreath on his head as if to say hello.
Saudi Arabia is known as the land of the desert, but this Middle Eastern country still has more than 2,000 growing flowers

. The wreaths are made and sold in the morning at local markets like Sabya or Addair.
Men here come to the market to buy wreaths early in the morning before it gets too hot. Some like to choose flowers and leaves and prepare themselves in a special way The most common way of making a ring usually uses herbs such as wild basil, fenugreek, marigold.




Twenty years ago, people in Jizan and Asir were completely isolated, had no access to electricity, concrete roads, and lived according to tribal laws. At that time, no women were allowed in the market, buying and selling was a man's job.
The first round by hand made of fresh flowers has a high price. The best one is usually made of white jasmine with flimsy wings so the seller must store it in ice boxes. Such a wreath can be worn for 2 days.
Men in Jizan and Asir wear wreaths not only for beauty but also for health reasons. The herbs that are popular in Saudi Arabia to make wreaths are also used to treat headaches
The people of Asir province live in houses built of red stone and mud bricks since the 1980s.



Inside abandoned houses, visitors can still see colored walls painted with wreaths. These works of art called Al-Qatt Al-Asiri, painted by local women, have been recognized by UNESCO as heritage sites. Asir women also wear wreaths but mostly stay at home and taking photos of them is strictly prohibited.
Wreaths are everyday beauty accessories, but nowadays, people do not use much. They are only popular during Ramadan and weddings.
Another beautiful tradition is that visitors to Asir are also presented with a crown.
According to Khanh Tran / Vnexpress
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