The galabeya: traditional Egyptian dress

The galabeya is a long, loose garment regarded as Egypt's national dress and associated above all with the countryside and with farmers. Its name is spelt in Latin script in many ways – galabeya, galabiya, jalabiya, jellabiya. It is also worn in Sudan, where it is most often white.

In writing this article we drew on the available encyclopaedic overviews; we have not yet worked through detailed ethnographic sources for the individual regions, and we will not fill the gaps with guesswork. That is why this piece is shorter than the subject deserves.

A cut that keeps you cool

Compared with the Arabian thawb, the galabeya has a wider cut, usually no collar and longer, wider sleeves. Farmers' galabeyas have very wide sleeves and sewn-in pockets. A loose garment stands away from the body, air circulates beneath it and sweat can evaporate – a principle that works better in a hot climate than close-fitting clothes.

Fabric for the season

Men's summer galabeyas are made from cotton and are often white. In winter they are worn in flannel or wool in darker colours, with colourful scarves around the neck or on the head. This difference neatly illustrates what we describe in the fabric comparison: cotton absorbs moisture and breathes, wool holds warmth.

Men's and women's versions

Variant	Description
Men's, plain	one colour, striped or checked
Galabeya frangi	urban, with a shirt-style collar
Galabeya scandarani	urban, with a stand-up collar
Women's "bi wist"	with a waist; common in Middle and Upper Egypt
Women's "bi sufra"	with a yoke (an inset in the upper part), loose; common in the Delta

Women's galabeyas tend to be printed or brightly coloured, sometimes black. Regions differ in the shape of the yoke, in tucks, embroidery and beadwork.

Origins

According to the available sources, today's form of the galabeya developed in the Nile Delta in the Islamic period and spread from there to the rest of Egypt. Its distant predecessors may go back to ancient Egypt and Nubia. The ancient Egyptians, however, wore mainly linen – which we write about in Ancient Egyptian linen.