Rory McIlroy found himself fending off questions of when he will be married soon after his opening round of the Abu Dhabi Championship.
The double Major winner recorded a superb two under par 70 and after a series of post-round interviews he was met by Adil Khalid who was dressed in typical Arabian attire.
Khalid presented the newly-engaged McIlroy with a Bisht – a gold lined robe to be worn on your wedding day
McIlroy remarked: “I’m not sure what Caroline would say seeing me in this”.
According to Wikipedia: “As winters are warm in the Arab region, the bisht is usually only worn for prestige on special occasions such as weddings, or festivals. In Iraq it is worn by tribal chiefs. The bisht is also worn by East African nobility, including tribal chiefs, kings, and imams, over a kanzu or tunic.
As the name implies, the origin of the name Bisht is purely Persian. The meaning of Bisht is originally derived from Pusht. In Persian, Pusht simply means “Behind”, a cloak is clothing to be worn from behind.
The type of men-wear is imported from Persia over the time by Persian/Iranian people visiting and trading between Persia and the Arabia Peninsula.”
FOOTNOTE –
When McIlroy showed off the Bisht it prompted one woman volunteer to quizz McIlroy when he was getting married but with McIlroy again confirming: “We had not set a date yet”.