Clothes are considered to be a part of the cultural heritage of any people around the world. It is directly related to history, civilization and tradition of a specific nation.
Algeria is rich with various clothes that differ from one region to another. For instance, in the Algerian capital (Algiers), women used to wear what is known as Karako which consists of two pieces; velvet jacket and large pants .This type of cloth is inspired from the Ottoman Empire that existed in Algeria for a long period of time.
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| karako |
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| Karako |
Even today is still worn by many women ,not daily as it’s used to be, but in weddings and each pride should possess one for Tasdira (tradition of wearing different Algerian clothes by the bride during the wedding). Also,El Jaba which is made of velvet and embroidered in gold thread . It’s made in Constantine (Algerian East). In addition to those beautiful Algerian traditional dresses, there is an elegant and fascinating dress known as thakandourth n l kvayel (kabyle dress). We find this type of dress, specifically, in the kabyle regions in the Algerian East (Bouira, Bejaia and Tizi Ouzou). It is made from silk tissue that is embroidered with different colours such as green, red, and yellow which symbolizes nature, blood and sun, respectively,by hand .It is tied with a belt around the waist which is handmade .This sort of dress becomes more and more charming by adding a piece of material which is decorated with the same motif as in the dress itself. It is called Elfouta and covers the body from waist to legs. The kabyle women adore silver too much and even enjoy to put it on daily. Each one possess silver bracelet, necklace, earrings and ring that are put along with that modest kabyle dress.Thakandourth n l kvayel holds a great deal of names according to the region it belongs such as thakandourth iwadayen which is referred to the region Wadiya in Tizi Ouzou.Besides women who wear the kabyle dress, men put on the Barnous. It is a made from wool’s sheep and it’s handmade. Men wear it during their wedding night. In some regions the elders still wear it daily, especially in winter in order to feel warm. These Algerian dresses witnessed a modern touch that’s why most of women still prefer them in occasions.
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| Thakandourth Iwadayen |
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| The wedding dress in the Kabyle regions |
Written by ARAB Sabrina.
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