The Jellabiya, also Jalabiya, Galabeya or Dalabiya (Standard / ALA-LC: , Sudanese Arabic: , Egyptian Arabic: Galabiya, Saʽidi Arabic: Dalabiya, ; is a loose-fitting, traditional garment from Egypt. Today, it is the national clothing in Egypt and is particularly associated with Egyptian farmers. It comes in various color varieties. Egyptian jalabiya in its modern form is believed to have originated during the Islamic era in Lower Egypt (the Delta region). The garment is also worn in Sudan, but that variation often has different textures and is usually white.
History
The earliest forms of Jalabeya can be traced back to Ancient Egypt and Ancient Nubia (modern-day Sudan) where similar long, loose-fitting, simple-collared garments were worn by both men and women. Discoveries like the Tarkhan dress (c. 3482–3102 BCE) housed at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology provide early evidence of woven tunic-style clothing.
Excavations at royal burial sites from the Kerma (c. 2500–1500 BCE) and Meroitic Periods (c. 300 BCE–350 CE) and hundreds of textile fragments recovered from royal pyramids in Sudan further demonstrate a complex clothing culture, often using cotton, a material not yet widely used in Egypt during the same period. Depictions of Nubians in Tomb of Huy (c. 1350 BCE), shown wearing tunics with wide sashes that pre-date the 25th Dynasty, further illustrate that loose-fitting robes were a shared feature of Nile Valley cultures, likely evolving independently or concurrently across both regions.
The current form of jalabiya dates back to the Islamic era in Lower Egypt (the Delta region), after which it spread to the rest of Egypt.
Design
The Jalabeya differs from the Arabic thawb, as it has a wider cut, typically 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 coast in Egypt, and Sudan and among Beja tribesmen, the Arabic dishdash is preferred due to the jalabeya's relation to farming.
Jalabeya 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 or over the head. The garment is traditionally worn with an ammama (turban).
A full male dress in Sudan usually consists of three pieces, the jibba, the kaftan, 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 avoid 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.
Varieties
Men's
Men's galabeya in Egypt typically have wider hems and sleeves in the country than in the city and a wide neckline with a slit. In the city, there is usually a button placket instead of a simple slit. Dull, solid colors, stripes, and plaid are considered appropriate for men's galabeya, while women's are usually prints and bright colors (or occasionally solid black). In the summer, men's galabeya are made of cotton, while in winter they are made of flannel or wool in darker colors. A heavier galabeya may be worn on top of another and feature couched cord or braid decorations concentrated on the neckline, sometimes with braid buttons.
In Egypt, two men's galabeya with collars exist: the galabeya frangi (foreign) which has a western shirt collar and the galabeya scandarani (Alexandrian) which has a stand collar. They also have breast pockets and collars, buttoned placket front openings, high necklines, and a slightly tighter cut. These are seen as more sophisticated styles of men's galabeya compared to the standard. This clothing has been famous in Arab world with many nationalities.
Women's Women's galabeya in Egypt are typically varied along regional lines. The two main styles are the galabeya bi wist (with waist) and galabeya bi sufra (yoked and loose). The former is common in Middle Upper Egypt from Beni Suef to Assiut, and the latter is common in the Delta. Deep Upper Egypt has both, distributed along ethnic lines.The galabeya bi wist has a bodice and separate skirt. The skirt is either gathered or cut in a bell shape, with a length between the knee and the floor. The waist of the dress is higher than natural to accommodate pregnancy. Sleeves are always 3/4 length or longer and may be gathered or narrow. The popular necklines are V neck, square, open, and collared, and may be combined in design. In Assuit, the galabeya bi wist may have originated as a Coptic Christian fashion, but this distinction is no longer upheld. The galabeya bi sufra has long, full sleeves. The main differentiation is the decoration, shape of the yoke, presence of a collar, and style of closure. The decorations on the yoke and the gathers or pleats beneath it are meant to enhance the fullness of the breast. These gathers can also hide slits for easy breastfeeding. The back of dress with often have 2-3 pairs of vertical tucks, called ḍafāyir, which echo the two braids many women wear and draw attention to the buttocks, which is where the tucks end. The backs of the yokes sometimes have horizontal tucks. The details of many galabiya bi sufra are likely influenced by late 19th century Western fashions worn by Europeans and wealthy Egyptians and may have been influenced by Recency era fashions due to the French invasion.
Delta galabiya bi sufra commonly have tapered, rather than straight sleeves, with some fullness at the upper arm and a cuff at the wrist. Horizontal tucks, pleats, gathers, and ruffles may also be added to the upper arm. In Sharqeyya, Gharbeyya, Qalyubeyya and Behera, sleeves also have three tucks running along the length of the sleeve. These traits may have been originally used to simulate the leg of mutton, or gigot, sleeve of the 1890s. Skirts are gathered and flared with ruffles and pintucks, and sometimes the skirt is trained. The train sweeps away the footprints and therefore can help defend against the evil eye; it also means that when bent over, the back of the leg is not exposed. In Gharbeyya, Qalyubeyya and Sharqeyya, the center front of the skirt has three vertical tucks along its whole length.
The women's galabeya in Boheria is distinguished by wide piping on the bust in a contrasting color. It is a galabeya bi sufra and found further away from urban centers. The neckline is square, with rows of piping spaced apart from each other outlining it. The specifics of the rest of the piping employs a range of motifs. The dress is gathered, with three tucks in the center front to curtail the fullness from being unmanageable. The ruffle at the bottom of the dress is about 8 inches tall. The sleeves are full with three tucks along the length and two horizontal tucks at the shoulder, and ribbon and piping is used to outline the silhouette of a cuff. The dress fabric is always colorful.
The traditional dress of Kirdasa is a galabiya bi sufra and made of floral fabric with a beaded yoke, like that of Abu Rawwash. The fabric of the yoke is black. Beading has fallen out of use and dresses are typically brown, blue, or black. The malas dress was also worn there. The dress of Sharqeyya was similar to Kirdasa, sometimes with beading and sometimes without, but fell out of use decades ago.
The dress in Behera, which mostly has a population of Beoduin origin, is a galabiya bi sufra, and has variations based on neckline. The square neckline (ṣadr murabbaʿ) has a contrasting inset in the neckline and bordering the yoke, and trim called soutage, or sirit satan, framing the neck. Satin braids encircle the dress as the bust. The V neckline (ḥarmala) only uses sirit satan to decorate the yoke. The sleeves have three concentric tucks at the top, called buffa. The skirt has a large flounce and three vertical tucks in the center front. There are two horizontal tucks above the flounce. Large, multicolor prints are preferred to small prints or black cloth- this is generally true of Beoduins in Egypt. Fellahin women, on the other hand, prefer black and other subdued fabrics.
Women's dress in Gharbeyya is of the galabiya bi sufra type. The yoke and cuffs were decorated with tentanah, a zig zag trim. The bust line is framed with two horizontal rows of braid, which dip down in the center in a narrow U shape. Black velvet was also used to trim dresses on the bust and cuffs. The back of the skirt is cut for a train and has dafayir, and the front has three center front vertical tucks, and several horizontal tucks above a flounce. A large epaulet like tuck sits at the top of the sleeve. In public, multiple simple dresses, usually with small print patterns, are worn on top of each other. Formal dresses were usually of darker colored fabric, with a pointed square neckline. A velvet shawl may be worn for warmth, and if one could afford it, wool and brushed cotton could be purchased for colder weather clothing. Velvets, rayon, and cotton sateens are available and used in the area.The dresses of Giza include the malas dress, which persisted as casual wear into the 1990s in the village of Nazlit al Semman. The malas there was woven of white silk, dyed red, cut and sewn, and finally dyed black, with starch used to fix the dye. In Abu Rawwash, the dress was a colorful galabiya bi sufra with a beaded yoke, and shiny fabric was preferred. Today villagers have shifted to dark fabrics. Golden beads are preferred, with rhinestones used to accent. A few motifs are used; the kirdan motif has stylized flowers and resembles a necklace. The namisa motif is made of rows of straight, dense packed beads, with accenting zig zag lines. The zig zags are called sikkit Fārūq, because they resemble a "king's road". If a dress is beaded today, it typically has this pattern. These motifs go with a front placket hiding snap closures, with beads covering the placket. The Ḫarǧ al naǧaf resembles two wings sprouting from a small circle in center front. It has no placket, and the yoke ends with triangular dags where it meets the skirt. Some yokes are machine embroidered, but they are more expensive as machine embroidery is done by men, as women cannot usually afford embroidery machines in the village and do not have the training to use them. The sleeves have tucks at the shoulder. The skirt is pleated and has a very tall flounce at the bottom, with two horizontal tucks above it. “Trompe-l’œil” buttons are sometimes used.
The dress in Saqqara is a galabiya bi sufra, with a pleated front skirt and dafayir. The flounce on the skirt is narrower than usual, and colored solid fabrics seem to be preferred. The diamond neckline has a pointed yoke as well. There are two trimmings for it. For the first, the edge of the yoke is outlined in black velvet, and black velvet is appliqued on the yoke in a faux collar silhouette. This is outlined with rows of beads. The second diamond neckline trimming has the bottom edge of the yoke trimmed with two rows of black velvet. The neckline is edged with a wide band of black velvet and rhinestones. The square neckline has two horizontal bands of black velvet, with a line of braid or beads between them and two vertical bands if black velvet on each side of the yoke with a line of braid between them. The bottom of this yoke often has triangular dags where it meets the skirt. Black velvet is also used for the sleeve cuffs. The sleeves are gathered at the top and have a tuck. “Trompe-l’œil” buttons are sometimes used.