The moroccan dress

The moroccan dress is introduced wearing is called a djellaba or djellabah. It's a traditional long loose fitting outer robe with full sleeves worn in the Maghreb region of North Africa and in Arabic-speaking countries along the Mediterranean. The baggy hood is called a cob and most djellabas for both men and women have them. (Pictured below is a traditional djellaba similar to Rynn's.)

This djellaba was bought in Chaouen by the Australian woman who has now donated it to the Museum. When travelling in Morocco in winter in the early 1970s, she bought it to keep warm; it was only afterwards, on finding herself a source of amusement for local women and children, that she discovered her djellaba was of the kind worn by men. Generally speaking, women’s djellabas are of different materials, more close-fitting and decorated with colourful embroidery.

Finally, those readers who think they may have seen a hooded woollen robe like this before are probably Star Wars fans.  It was the design of the Moroccan djellaba that inspired the hooded robes worn by Alec Guinness as Obi-wan-kenobe and the other valiant Jedi Knights in the Star Wars films.




The Djellaba, a typical robe that you cannot miss from the very first few seconds after arriving in Morocco. According to the many people we have met who have professed to be experts in many areas, there are three basic types of djellaba for men and two basic everyday options for women. For both sexes, the machzania or "government" djellaba is the most common throughout the country. For the men, there are also the northern and the southern djellaba, and for the women there is the kaftanlamic religion of Morocco is also a key factor in the way that Moroccan people dress. The djellaba covers the whole body and is therefore an acceptable modest outfit.

Djellabas come in different shapes and colours, and are worn in different forms. The djellaba is a long, loosely fitting hooded outer robe with full sleeves,that men and women pull over their garments. They are made in many different shapes and colours; generally men wear light colours, which is important as this helps reflect the strong Moroccan sun. Light colours are also available for women to wear but despite this, women choose to wear brighter colors such as pinks, blues and even black. The hood is of vital importance for both sexes as it protects the wearer from the sun and in earlier times was used as a defence against sand being blown into the wearers face by strong desert winds. Djellabas are made of a wide variety of materials, from cotton for summer-time djellabas to coarse wool for winter djellabas. The wool is typically harvested from camel,goats or sheep living in the surrounding mountains and then a long process of turning the wool into yarn is carried out and it is then woven in the fabric to create the garment.

Djellabas are worn by both men and women; the men's style is generally baggier, of darker colors, and plain. Women's djellabas are tighter and can sport elaborate decorative stitching in a variety of colors. Women sometimes add a scarf. Almost all djellabas of both styles include a baggy hood called a 'cob' that comes to a point at the back. Traditionally Djellabas reach right down to the ground but nowadays they are becoming slimmer and shorter.



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women's djellaba

women's djellaba

The classic Moroccan garment is called "djellaba", a long and loose hooded gown which Moroccans  wear it over their normal clothing. It covers the entire body except for the head, the hands and the feet and it comes in different colors, styles and fabrics depending on the season. During summer a cotton or rayon djellaba is preferred, while during winter a wool one.

This djellaba was made in the craft town of Chaouen (also known as Chefchaouen), situated in the Rif Mountains of northern Morocco, just inland from Tangier. Chaouen was founded in the 1400s by Moorish exiles from Spain; it became part of Spanish Morocco in 1920, but was released back to Morocco on becoming independent in 1956. Chaouen is well known for its excellence in the crafts, which include brassware, pottery and leather work as well as weaving.

This djellaba was bought in Chaouen by the Australian woman who has now donated it to the Museum. When travelling in Morocco in winter in the early 1970s, she bought it to keep warm; it was only afterwards, on finding herself a source of amusement for local women and children, that she discovered her djellaba was of the kind worn by men. Generally speaking, women’s djellabas are of different materials, more close-fitting and decorated with colourful embroidery.

Finally, those readers who think they may have seen a hooded woollen robe like this before are probably Star Wars fans.  It was the design of the Moroccan djellaba that inspired the hooded robes worn by Alec Guinness as Obi-wan-kenobe and the other valiant Jedi Knights in the Star Wars films.



The Djellaba, a typical robe that you cannot miss from the very first few seconds after arriving in Morocco. According to the many people we have met who have professed to be experts in many areas, there are three basic types of djellaba for men and two basic everyday options for women. For both sexes, the machzania or "government" djellaba is the most common throughout the country. For the men, there are also the northern and the southern djellaba, and for the women there is the kaftanlamic religion of Morocco is also a key factor in the way that Moroccan people dress. The djellaba covers the whole body and is therefore an acceptable modest outfit.

Djellabas come in different shapes and colours, and are worn in different forms. The djellaba is a long, loosely fitting hooded outer robe with full sleeves,that men and women pull over their garments. They are made in many different shapes and colours; generally men wear light colours, which is important as this helps reflect the strong Moroccan sun. Light colours are also available for women to wear but despite this, women choose to wear brighter colors such as pinks, blues and even black. The hood is of vital importance for both sexes as it protects the wearer from the sun and in earlier times was used as a defence against sand being blown into the wearers face by strong desert winds. Djellabas are made of a wide variety of materials, from cotton for summer-time djellabas to coarse wool for winter djellabas. The wool is typically harvested from camel,goats or sheep living in the surrounding mountains and then a long process of turning the wool into yarn is carried out and it is then woven in the fabric to create the garment.

Djellabas are worn by both men and women; the men's style is generally baggier, of darker colors, and plain. Women's djellabas are tighter and can sport elaborate decorative stitching in a variety of colors. Women sometimes add a scarf. Almost all djellabas of both styles include a baggy hood called a 'cob' that comes to a point at the back. Traditionally Djellabas reach right down to the ground but nowadays they are becoming slimmer and shorter.

The djellaba is worn traditionally both by men and women, but the women's djellaba differs in style as it has brighter colors and decorative embroidery.


Another traditional garment worn this time only by women is the kaftan. It looks like the djellaba, but it doens't have the hood. The kaftan can be simple for day to day and it can also come in a more elegant and sofisticated style worn by women on weddings or celebrations. It is also the bride's garment on her wedding day.
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Marrakech Adventures


 I had ever won so I was super-excited – who wouldn’t be?.  Three weeks ago we were in Marrakech and even though the temperature was over 40 degrees, we chose to do the Urban Adventures full day walking tour.

We chose this before we left home and then confirmed it with a telephone call a day or two beforehand as recommended.  When we arrived at the meeting place there were quite a few  travellers who had arrived to do the half day tour.  We were tempted to join their group as we were already having fun exchanging stories.  They had just finished an Intrepid Tour of Morocco – one that we had tried hard to fit in but our dates wouldn’t work – and were full of praise for it.  Eventually we decided to stick with the full day tour we had already chosen.

Our guide was cool, relaxed, funny, interesting and answered our questions well. There was no way we would have seen as much by ourselves in one day, or learned so much about what we were seeing.  The fact that we just had to follow  and not  find our own way was wonderful as well.  A good thing about U.A. is that they use local people as guides, so they can answer any obscure questions you might have.
As it was our first day in Marrakech and Morocco we were experiencing culture shock so it was a real bonus to have someone show us around.  Walking in the souks for the first time with a guide was wonderful.  He took us to a wood craft stall where we saw the craftsman at work,  and showed us the boilers being fired with wood to heat the hammam.  In the souk we also saw the original building where camel caravan traders stayed. 
Where the camel caravanners of old used to stay in Marrakech
I particularly enjoyed the alleys that had the timber slats as a roof, but as our guide pointed out they let the rain in as well as the light.
Walking in the Souk at MarrakechBut the souks were only a small part of what we saw on the day.
We saw the Bert Flint – Maison Tiskiwin (Museum),  where Bert, now in his 80′s still works in his office.  The museum houses Bert’s collection of African artifacts.
Bert Flint's Collection of African Artifacts is displayed at Maison TiskiwinThe Bahia Palace  with it’s ornate ceilings and harem stories.
Exquisite Ceilings in the Bahia PalaceBab Agnaou the most decorative and largest  Gate to the Kasbah.
The Gate to the Casbah, MarrakechThe Saadian Tombs, final resting place for sixty members of the Saadi dynasty that date back to 1578 which were only discovered again in 1917.
Saadien Tombs, MarrakechClose to Bab Agnaou, was Herboristerie Bab Agnaou where the rooms were lined with bottle upon bottle of who knows what, and we acquired some tagine spice mixes and an eczema treatment based on argan oil, but mixed with other things, which our daughter has since proclaimed a miracle treatment. 
HerboristerieThe tour started and finished in Jemaa el Fna square which was masquerading behind  it’s laid back day time persona. 
During the morning we saw the other U.A. group (half-day tour) several times and had fun chatting with them.  If it is a little cooler when you are there I would suggest doing the full day trip, but I am sure they would all be good.  As it turned out we ended up with our own personal tour.   I won the tours in my own right as Jan Robinson.

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