marrakech or marrakesh morocco

EVERY generation, Westerners find new reasons to go gaga for Marrakesh. For Edith Wharton and Winston Churchill, the draw was medieval Islamic architecture and rugged mountainous landscapes. For the globetrotting hippies of the woozy “Marrakesh Express” days, the appeal lay in “charming cobras” and “blowing smoke rings,” to quote Crosby, Stills and Nash. These days, with Marrakesh emerging as the center of North Africa’s style and night life, everyone from Julia Roberts to Naomi Campbell has threaded through its labyrinthine old lanes in search of celebrity chefs, opulent spas and designer boutiques. Indeed, for many of Europe’s jet set playgrounds — Ibiza discos, Riviera beach clubs, Paris hotels — a Marrakesh outpost is now de rigueur.

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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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