The jellabiya, also jalabiya or galabeya ( ar, جلابية /

ALA-LC ALA-LC (American Library AssociationLibrary of Congress) is a set of standards for romanization, the representation of text in other writing systems using the Latin script. Applications The system is used to represent bibliographic information by ...

: ', Egyptian slang: Galabyia, ; "jelebeeya" in

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the Er ...

; "jehllubeeya" in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

) is a loose-fitting, traditional Egyptian garment from the

Nile Valley The Nile, , Bohairic , lg, Kiira , Nobiin: Áman Dawū is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa and has historically been considered the longest ri ...

. Today, it is associated with farmers living in the Republic of Egypt (Giza-Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan) and comes in rich color varieties. The garment is also worn in Sudan, but has other textures and is usually white, as well as some communities from

and

. The colorful Egyptian style is used by both men and women. East sudan BIJA

The jellabiya differs from the Arabic

thawb Thawb ( ar, ثَوْب "garment"), also spelled thobe or tobe and known by various other names in different regions, is an ankle-length robe, usually with long sleeves. It is commonly worn in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Afr ...

, as it has a wider cut, no collar (in some cases, no buttons) and longer, wider sleeves. Versions for farmers have very wide sleeves and sewn-in pockets used to carry tobacco, money, or other small items. Along the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; ...

coast in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...

Nubia Nubia () (Nobiin language, Nobiin: Nobīn, ) is a region along the Nile river encompassing the area between the Cataracts of the Nile, first cataract of the Nile (just south of Aswan in southern Egypt) and the confluence of the Blue Nile, Blue ...

and Sudan and among Beja tribesmen, the Arabic

dishdash Thawb ( ar, ثَوْب "garment"), also spelled thobe or tobe and known by various other names in different regions, is an ankle-length robe, usually with long sleeves. It is commonly worn in the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Afri ...

is preferred due to the jellabiya's relation to farming. Jellabiya worn in summer are often white. During winter, thicker fabrics that are grey, dark green, olive, blue, tan or striped are used, and colorful scarves are worn around the neck. The garment is traditionally worn with an '' ammama'' (

turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...

). A full male dress in Sudan usually consists of three pieces, the

jibba The ''jibba'' or ''jibbah'' ( ar, جبة, romanized: ''jubbā''), originally referring to an outer garment, cloak or coat,) is a long coat worn by Muslim men. During the Mahdist State in Sudan at the end of the 19th century, it was the garment ...

, the

kaftan A kaftan or caftan (; fa, خفتان, ) is a variant of the robe or tunic. Originating in Asia, it has been worn by a number of cultures around the world for thousands of years. In Russian usage, ''kaftan'' instead refers to a style of men's l ...

, and the ''sederi''. The gebba/jibba, is the outermost garment characterized by a long opening over the chest. The urban version used to have this opening continue to the end, which made the ''jibba'' effectively a long coat. It has one pocket on one side and on the other side, just an opening that leads to a pocket in the Kaftan, the gallabiya's undergarment. The ''kaftan'' is perfectly aligned with the jibba and worn under it for protection against both heat and cold. It is also made of pure cotton to evade irritation caused by the wool of the winter jibba. Between the ''kaftan'' and the ''jibba'' there is a ''sederi'' (vest) which has small pockets for money, cigarette packs, and even pistols. A traditional ''kamees ''and a sirwal are usually worn underneath the three piece suit.

References

{{Authority control Dresses Egyptian culture Egyptian clothing African clothing Middle Eastern clothing Sudanese clothing

See also

References