Originally Posted by
B747-437B
Not just ladies. Men who do not meet the dress code (notably, any men who are wearing shorts) will have to rent a kandoura as well. No charge, but ID retained as deposit.
And ladies do not have to rent an abaya if they meet the dress code. A simple scarf will almost always suffice.
Best avoided for men; you will stand out as a dumb tourist who can't do online research
The abayas are better and the assistants in the 'garment' room will do their best to make ladies look good, or so I'm told.
There's a useful guide on the website:
http://www.szgmc.ae/en/img/Mosque-Manners.jpg
Ladies need to be covered wrists to ankles, so best to borrow an abaya unless you would normally dress this way.
And it's always good to enter into the spirit by dressing respectfully, rather than what you can get way with.