A xhamadan or xhamadani is a traditional wool garment worn by

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

men. It can be sleeved or sleeveless. The sleeveless xhamadan is only one type of the Albanian vest, the other two being the ''xhamadani me reshme'', and the ''xhamadani fermele''. The xhamadani me reshme went out of use around the beginning of the 20th century. whereas the xhamadan and the xhamadani fermele continue to be used in traditional festivities. A good xhamadan is usually richly embroidered, sometimes in gold: in the past its quality revealed social rank.

History

The xhamadani originated in the northeastern parts of Albania, but is worn throughout the country and in other territories inhabited by Albanians. The xhamadan appears to be the jacket to which 16th-century English poet

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; 1552/1553 – 13 January 1599) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognized as one of the premier craftsmen of ...

refers in a line of his ''

Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

'', published in the 1590s, where he mentions the ''sleeves-dependent, Albanese wise''. It is mentioned several times by British travel writers, such as

John Foster Fraser Sir John Foster Fraser (13 June 1868 – 7 July 1936) was a Scottish travel author. In July 1896, he and two friends, Samuel Edward Lunn and Francis Herbert Lowe, took a bicycle trip around the world riding Rover safety bicycles. They covered 19, ...

, who in the first (1906) edition of his book, ''Pictures from the Balkans'', observes the preferences of Albanian men for xhamadans embroidered in gold or silver.

Types of xhamadan

There were three types of xhamadanis in Albania: the xhamadan, the ''xhamadani me reshme'' and the ''xhamadani fermele'', of which only the fermele and xhamadan are still in use, the jermele having fallen out of favour around the beginning of the 20th century. The xhamadan usually can be closed on the left side, it has usually two pockets, an outside and an inside one, and is adorned with embroidery. In winter time the Albanians would wear the '' tallagan'', a heavy coat, on top of the xhamadan. The embroidery can be in silk or cotton braids. Northern and southern Albanians each had several types of xhamadan, which differed in color and cut. Northern Albanians would usually wear a xhamadan of red velvet, embroidered in black silk or, sometimes, gold. The quality of the embroidery itself indicates social rank. In particular, the xhamadan worn by Albanians in the region of