A bit of history...

Morocco is a rich country in terms of history, traditions, people, culture , religion, climate, geography and so forth. Every one of these aspects of my  country influences how  we Moroccan people are dressed.

Among the variety of clothes in Morocco, we find the jellaba and qaftan, two fine garments that speak of the luxurious clothing style of the country.

If you are walking down the streets of any city of my coutnry , you will certainly see some men and women wearing long and loose hooded gowns over their clothing. This garment is called the jellaba. It covers the entire body except for the head.

The jellaba for women is different than the one for men in style and purpose. Women wear a jellaba for different reasons. First of all, it is a very comfortable and aesthetically appealing. Second, it is the traditional and the  modest garment to wear in a muslim country and it's also mentioned in the Quran as a garment to be worn by Muslim women. It is also worn when visiting the family on a religious holiday.

 A jellaba is mostly worn outside the house and there are jellabas for every day as well as for special occasions.

The Qaftan refers to the moroccan garment that looks like the jellaba but without a hood. The origins of the qaftan go back to the romans , as it was one of the finest clothing worn by the elite. Like other garments, it has gone through changes over the years...

The qaftan is worn by moroccan women during special occasions like weddings or religion holydays.

the Qaftan is also worn under the Takchita , which is another beautifully decorated gown It is composed of two pieces, a dress as a first layer, often of fine but not ornately decorated fabric wich is the Qaftan , and a more elaborate second layer or over-dress that often buttons up the front using the traditional sfifa and akaad closures. The upper layer is often richly adorned with embroidery, beading or sequins  with wide sleeves and a thick belt worn around the waist.
Like the Qaftan the takchita is worn for celebrations mostly weddings and the bride first outfit would be a takchita .

.  As opposed to a jellaba, a qaftan or a takchita  is not worn outside the house.