Unmodified Fabric Rectangles
| The simplest clothing is formed by wrapping or pinning an unmodified fabric length around the body. Simple cloaks such as the haik and chador are also formed from unmodfied lengths. |
Wrapped Garments Woman and child, Algeria, 1967  Wrapped, Sudan 2004  Fisherman in futah, Yemen 1979 |
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The izar is worn from Morocco to Syria - usually over a sleeved dress. The fabric is twice the height of the wearer. It is wound once around like a skirt and held with a sash, then is wound over the head. Parker
A similar garment is also worn by Nubians on the Sudanese border. Berbers in Morocco also wear a similar style but using two rectangles. One for the skirt and the other for upper body. The skirt is sometimes referred to as a loin cloth or in Algeria a fouta Tafsout. This is basically the same as the futah in Yemen. |
Pinned GarmentsBerbers in the Maghrib also wear a draped garment held with two pins at the shoulder - like the Greek peplos and fibula - in the Maghrib it is called melia or melehfa and bzima. Parker, Tafsout Girl in melia, Tunisia 1910  Fibula closeup, Tunisia 1910  Dresses pinned at shoulders, Algeria 1928  Drummer, Algeria 1958 |
Simple Wrapped Cloaks Covered women in market, Morocco 1935  Haik, Morocco 1943  Haik, Algiers 1928  Wealthy women in haiks, Tunisia 1910 |
HaikThroughout the Maghrib and eastwards, urban women cover their whole body with a sheer garment called the haik. This 6m x 2m length of fabric is made of fine wool and sometimes striped with blue or black over the white. Parker, BritannicaHandiraA heavier garment, more like a blanket or shawl, the handira is also worn in this region Parker |
 Handira Morocco 1935  Women and girls in chadors Iran 1950  Chador Iran 1957 |
ChadorFurther east, the chador is worn as outer cloak. It was banned in Iran in the 1920s but made a come back in the 1950s and now required.Some sources incorrectly confuse chadors with Afghan burqas. The two are quite different as can be seen in the veil page. |
Other general types of clothing:
unmodified lengths cloaks sleeveless tunics skirts men's headwear women's headwear
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