Purdah

thumb|Women wearing burqas in Afghanistan

A niqāb, niqab, or niqaab (; ), also known as a ruband () or rubandah (), is a long garment worn by some Muslim women, in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of hijab, and is worn in public and in all other places where a woman may encounter non-mahram men. Most prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula, the niqab is a controversial clothing item in many parts of the world, including in some Muslim-majority countries.

The term ' (also , or ') () refers to any long and loose-fit coat or outer garment worn by Muslim women. Wearers believe that this definition of fulfills the Quranic choice for a hijab. The is also known as by Persian speakers in Iran and Afghanistan. The modern covers the entire body except the face and hands. Some women will also cover the hands with gloves and the face along with a niqāb. thumb|Jilbab

thumb|300px|right|Ladies of Kabul|Caubul (1848 lithograph, by [[James Rattray) showing the lifting of purdah in zenana areas – Oriental and India Office Collection, British Library.]]

A yashmak, yashmac or yasmak (from , "a veil") is a Turkish, Egyptian and Turkmen type of veil or niqāb| worn by women to cover their faces in public. During the Ottoman Empire, the garment eventually became transparent in the middle part of the 19th century. Upper-class women wore the transparent yashmak, while the peasants still had to cover their faces.

thumb|Ladies of the zenana on a roof terrace by Ruknuddin. Bikaner, 1675

awareness day and annual event founded by Nazma Khan which encourage women to wear the hijab, to acquaint with the experience of wearing it, to educate and spread awareness on why hijab is worn, to promote wider acceptence of hijab wearing

Shayla () is an Islamic head covering worn by some Muslim women in the presence of any male outside of their immediate family. It is different from a khimar, because it is usually wrapped and pinned. Sometimes it is worn in the form of a half niqab with part of the face still appearing. thumb|Two mannequins with the left wearing a shayla and the right wearing a niqab

thumb|A Hindu woman with a ghoonghat veil. A ghoonghat (ghunghat, ghunghta, ghomta, orhni, odani, laaj, chunari, jhund, kundh) is a headcovering or headscarf, worn primarily in the Indian subcontinent, by some married Hindu and Jain women to cover their heads, and often their faces. Generally aanchal or pallu, the loose end of a sari is pulled over the head and face to act as a ghoonghat. A dupatta (long scarf) is also commonly used as a ghoongat.