Kaftan

What it is

The kaftan is a long tunic for special occasions, in many cuts and fabrics, with or without a belt¹. Its hallmarks are the opening down the middle, the buttons and the handmade decoration of embroidery, beads and sequins².

The family includes many forms, among them the takchita, mansouria, jabador and gandora, as well as the chedda in variants from Tangier, Tetouan and Oujda³. Harrell records the mansouria as a transparent overdress of women and the kaftan as a long-sleeved garment with a belt⁴.

Where it comes from

Every large city had its own variant⁵. The UNESCO dossier names styles such as Fassi, Rbati, Slaoui and Oujdi and fabrics such as the brocade of Fez⁶. A 19th-century velvet kaftan with gold embroidery in the Oudayas Museum in Rabat can be recognised by its cut and decoration as work from Tetouan⁷.

History

According to the catalogue of the Oudayas Museum, the kaftan was brought to Morocco by the Saadian sultan Abd al-Malik (r. 1576–1578), who had lived in Istanbul⁸. According to European travellers, it became fashionable among middle-class women from the late 17th century⁹. The dossier for UNESCO starts earlier: according to it, the kaftan is rooted in a long history of dress that has evolved since the Middle Ages, and it unites Arab and Amazigh influences¹⁰.

What it is made of

The fabrics are brocade, velvet and silk¹¹. Braids of gold, silver or silk thread, the sfifa, and buttons of thread, the akad, emphasise the lines; to these are added belts from Fez, of brocade or embroidered and sometimes as wide as a bodice¹². Harrell lists the sfifa as a decorative braid on garments, cloths and curtains¹³.

How it is made

Many hands work on a kaftan: weavers for the brocade, velvet and silk, tailors for the shape, and craftspeople for the buttons, braids and embroidery¹⁴. The dossier names the weaver (zeradkhi), the cutter (fessal) and the embroiderers, whose work bears a distinctive signature in each region¹⁵. The skills are passed on in families and workshops, but also in training centres and fashion schools¹⁶.

In Fez gold embroidery, the metal thread is sewn down onto velvet or leather with strong linen thread, a technique known as couching¹⁷. Velvet kaftans with gold embroidery were still worn at weddings and on special occasions at the end of the 20th century¹⁸.

When

The kaftan is worn at weddings, naming ceremonies, rites of passage and other important social and religious occasions¹⁹. The dossier also names tbourida, the equestrian performance, religious festivals and official occasions²⁰.

How to recognise it

The Ministry of Handicrafts has created a label for the kaftan: according to the minister, “Caftan Marocain” was adopted on 11 October 2024 with craftspeople, fashion designers and experts; it rests on technical, cultural and heritage criteria, such as adherence to traditional cutting and sewing techniques and the choice of materials, and a system of checks is to ensure compliance²¹. In January 2025 OMPIC published the registration of the collective mark “Caftan Marocain” (قفطان مغربي) for kaftans made by traditional Moroccan craft methods, together with word marks for “Haute Couture Marocaine” in Arabic, French and Tamazight²². Since an agreement with the World Intellectual Property Organization of 7 July 2025, Morocco has also had the kaftan and zellige legally protected there²³.