Traditional Clothes of Morocco
Morocco is an old country dating back thousands of years in time. Many Moroccans still wear traditional clothing especially in the Berber and Sahara regions.
Morocco is a mix of many cultures, Berber, Jews, Moors, Arabs, Romans and all bring something to the fashions of the country. Of course many people now also wear western fashions.
If you are walking down the streets of any city of Morocco, you will certainly see some men and women wearing long and loose hooded garments, these are called djellaba. They cover the entire body except for the head, hands and feet. The djellaba is worn in all seasons.
The djellaba for women is different than the one for men in style and purpose. First of all for comfort and second, it is a modest garment to wear in a Muslim country. Some women accompany it with a scarf around their neck or head. Men wear a djellaba for three main reasons to keep warm, for the mosque and to help to keep the clothes underneath in good condition. The hood for women is for decoration and for men is for use like a hat for protection from the sun and also for use like a pocket. The woman’s djellaba is more colourful than the mans and is mostly worn outside the house. There are djellabas for every day as well as for special occasions. On special occasions the djellaba is worn with a traditional red hat from Fes called a tarboosh with Moroccan slippers called belgha.
The Caftan and Takchita are also well known traditional Moroccan dresses often hand-made. The origins of the caftan go back to the Ottoman Empire. The Caftan is a one piece dress made of a special cloth and is worn at celebrations such as weddings, baptisms and circumcision ceremonies. The Takchita is composed of 2 parts, the first layer is the Takchita, the second is the Dfina and this is also worn at weddings and celebrations.
Women in Morocco also wear a costume called a Haik. This is a traditional white costume made from silk and wool. It’s a winter costume that covers the whole body except the face and hands and is made from one piece of fabric.
A summer costume worn by both men and women is the Gandoura. This is a Berber traditional costume with short sleeves and side pockets.
Lastly is the Melhfa this is made from bright colours unlike the Jellaba. It’s worn by the Sahrawi women near the city of Melhfa to protect them from sand, wind, dust and the storms of the desert. It is usually black or blue.
