The djellaba or jillaba (;

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

: جلابة;

Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–19 ...

: ''aselham''), also written gallabea, is a long, loose-fitting

unisex Unisex is an adjective indicating something is not sex-specific, i.e. is suitable for any type of sex. The term can also mean gender-blindness or gender neutrality. The term 'unisex' was coined as a neologism in the 1960s and was used fairly i ...

outer robe with full sleeves that is worn in the

Maghreb The Maghreb (; ar, الْمَغْرِب, al-Maghrib, lit=the west), also known as the Arab Maghreb ( ar, المغرب العربي) and Northwest Africa, is the western part of North Africa and the Arab world. The region includes Algeria, ...

region of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. In central and eastern Algeria it is called ''qeššaba'' or ''qeššabiya''. The mountain dwellers of Morocco call it ''tadjellabit'', which is a Berberized form.

Etymology

Reinhart Dozy's theory that the Djellaba would have been, originally, the "garment of the Djellab", that is to say of the slave trader, has been rejected by William Marçais who proposed to see in djellaba an alteration of djilbab which, in ancient Arabic, meant draped clothing, although the djellaba is sewn rather than draped. He pointed out that in Oman the form ''gillab'' designates the woman's veil. The disappearance of the first ''b'' would have occurred identically in the Maghreb and Oman. As for the qeššabiya, Georges Séraphin Colin sees in this name the deformation of the Latin ''gausapa'', a term which would have been preserved in the ''gosaba'' form in the Adrar where it designates the shirt.

Overview

Traditionally, djellabas are made of wool in different shapes and colours, but lightweight cotton djellabas have now become popular. Among the Berbers, or Imazighen, such as the

Imilchil Imilchil or Imilshil ( , ar, إملشيل) is a small town in Midelt Province of central Morocco, in the Atlas Mountains with a population of about 1,858. It is located at an elevation of 2119 m in the valley of Asif Mellulen ("white river"). T ...

in the

Atlas Mountains The Atlas Mountains are a mountain range in the Maghreb in North Africa. It separates the Sahara Desert from the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean; the name "Atlantic" is derived from the mountain range. It stretches around through ...

, the colour of a djellaba traditionally indicates the marital status (single or married) of the bearer: a dark brown djellaba indicating bachelorhood. Traditionally, djellabas reached down to the ground but lightweight djellabas are somewhat slimmer and shorter. Men often wear a light-coloured djellaba sometimes along with a traditional Arab red fez hat and soft yellow babouche slippers (''

balgha Balgha ( ar, البلغة, l-bəlġa), also spelled balga, belgha, or belga, are heelless slippers made from leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins an ...

'' in Arabic) for religious celebrations and weddings. Almost all djellabas of both styles (male or female) include a baggy hood called a ''qob'' (Arabic: قب) that comes to a point at the back. The hood is important for both sexes, as it protects the wearer from the sun, and in earlier times, it was used as a defence against sand being blown into the wearer's face by strong desert winds. In colder climes, as in the mountains of Morocco, it also serves the same function as a winter hat, preventing heat loss through the head and protecting the face from

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughou ...

and

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

. It is common for the roomy hood to be used as a pocket during times of warm weather; it can fit loaves of bread or bags of groceries. Traditional djellabas are generally made of two types of material, cotton for summer wear and coarse wool for the winter. The wool is typically obtained from sheep in the surrounding mountains. Buttons for djellabas are made in the town of Bhalil.

References

External links

''Moroccan Clothing''
{{Authority control Algerian clothing Arab culture Arabic clothing Folk costumes Moroccan clothing Robes and cloaks

Etymology

Overview

See also

References

External links