SELHAM MOROCCAN CAPE

Selham Moroccan Cape

   Moroccan clothing fashions were strongly influenced by the Greco-Roman heritage and the touch of the Middle East. But the main characteristic of the traditional Moroccan costume is its permanence through time since antiquity when the Berber kingdoms dominated the Mediterranean basin and until today.

Origins and evolution: 

Regarding the Selham also known as burnous, it has been strongly linked to the advent of the Arabs in Morocco like the rest of North Africa. Moreover, the Syrian traveler Al Umari who visited Morocco in the 14th century attests to the port of Selham in Morocco as in Andalusia, particularly among the eminent personages of the country.

Obviously, the Selham has evolved over time, but with only a few changes in the cut, the materials used based on wool, cotton or silk, as well as in terms of weaving technique, embroidery, trimmings, and colors adopted at each period in the history of Morocco. If the weaving operation belonged to the functions of women, the sewing of a Burnous returned to the Taleb or fqih who occupied the function of the couturier for several centuries. The Chronicles of Leon of Africa report that the kingdom exported different types of clothing including selhams to European countries such as France, Portugal, Italy, Christian Spain, and Muslim Andalusia. The burnous under the Middle Eastern influence conquered Moroccan men and even foreigners who adopted it as a traditional Beldi costume who did not hesitate to match it with some accessories such as a cane, a skullcap or a turban according to tastes and aspirations of the moment.

The Selham, symbol of Moroccan authenticity:

During the colonial period, Moroccans found in the selham a way to confirm their identity and claim their independence loud and clear by preserving their clothing habits and respecting their ancestral history. Even if the Moroccans adopted the imported cotton fabrics which invaded the Moroccan market during the protectorate to the detriment of woven wool, the selham has always carried this Moroccan touch which is specific to it and which creates its identity and constitutes its main attraction. That said with the gradual but certain opening of the kingdom to Western habits and customs, more and more Moroccan men adopted the costume and the jeans in their daily life to relegate the selham as well as other traditional clothes for occasions special events such as religious festivals, engagements, weddings among others.

What about the groom?

Selham Moroccan

 In this regard, a newlywed must imperatively wear a beldi costume, if not a jabador, it is a djellaba supplemented with a burnous to give him that princely air that makes him the sultan on the day of his wedding. The selham of a bridegroom is generally of a white or cream shade which is distinguished by its simplicity but also by the delicacy of its texture and the beauty of its cut in order to embellish the young husband and underline the nobility of a haughty port. 

it does without any artificial trim or ornament because it is a costume that symbolizes chic and refinement by itself.

The selham is a garment that completes the clothing aspect by wearing it on a djellaba, a caftan or a takchita, for men than for women, it does not need any artificial trim or ornament because it is a costume that symbolizes by it - even chic and refinement.

But beyond the functional aspect of the Selham or its memory in the clothing history of Morocco, it reflects through its past and its present ideology and emphasizes belonging to a social group and to a Moroccan, Berber, and Arab-Muslim. It relates to a cultural heritage which has managed to resist centuries of change and change in order to remain true to itself. It is worn with simplicity but also with a lot of elegance and nobility as it should be in a timeless and typically Moroccan garment.