Morocco Seeks UNESCO World Heritage Status for Traditional Caftan

On Thursday, a national consultation workshop on the theme "the art, tradition and know-how of the caftan" was held at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMVI) in Rabat. On this occasion, Abdelilah Afifi, Secretary General of the Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication - Department of Culture, recalled that Morocco has already registered the caftan on the list of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) as Muslim intangible heritage in 2022. He specified that the kingdom is about to finalize this application to UNESCO during the year 2023.

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"Studies have been carried out around the caftan in order to highlight its cultural and social dimensions as well as its craft and artistic characteristics," revealed the official, adding that the know-how and knowledge associated with this item have also been documented and recorded in audiovisual format in order to highlight its distinctive features and promote it internationally."

In a presentation entitled "The Moroccan Caftan: Perspectives on the Production of a Traditional Heritage Costume", Abdelaziz El Idrissi traced the genesis of the Moroccan caftan. "It was in the 12th century and under the Almohad dynasty that the caftan appeared in Morocco and that it was very different from the traditional clothing worn in the East," he explained, before highlighting the wealth and variations of this famous traditional women’s costume.