Traditional Women’s Attire in Chlef, Algeria: Form, Colour, and Materials in the Context of Local Identity and Andalusian and Ottoman Influences
Abstract
This study examines traditional women’s attire in the Chlef region of Algeria as an expression of local cultural identity. Using a descriptive-analytical approach, it examines selected examples of Chlef attire in their historical and cultural contexts. The analysis focuses on form, colour, and materials to interpret the aesthetic and symbolic meanings of the garments and to explore how cultural exchange shaped their decorative features.
The findings show how Andalusian and Ottoman influences were incorporated into decorative details while the garments retained a distinctive local character. The study concludes that traditional women’s attire in Chlef records a history of cultural exchange and forms part of the region’s collective memory. It calls for documenting and safeguarding both the garments as material heritage and the knowledge and practices associated with them as intangible cultural heritage.
Keywords — Chlef, traditional women’s attire, decorative arts, local cultural identity, Andalusian influences, Ottoman influences, cultural heritage.
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