Jebala
Encyclopedia
Jebala refers to the inhabitants of the north-western region of Morocco.
origin; they adopted the Arabic language in the 12th and 13th centuries, influenced by Arabic-speaking neighbor population of Fes
, northern Morocco
and Al-Andalus
.
and by the Spanish language
following the occupation of the area by Spain
during the protectorate era.
The traditional man's outer garment is the djellaba
, a one piece cotton or woolen cloak with a pointed hood. In the Jebela region the wool is usually un-dyed so dark brown and off-white colours are common. White djellabas are worn for religious festivals.
The Jelaba favour pointed toed leather slippers. Natural light brown, yellow and white are the most common colours.
Reed hats are another traditional feature of Jebala dress for both men and women.
Women's hats are often adorned with woven woollen tassels and roping of black, white and red in variations.
Etymology
The word Jbala comes from Arabic Jbel which means mountain. Thus Jbala means mountain people. A man or boy is called a Jebli while a woman or a girl is called a Jebliya.Origins
The Jebala are of BerberBerber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
origin; they adopted the Arabic language in the 12th and 13th centuries, influenced by Arabic-speaking neighbor population of Fes
Fes
Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....
, northern Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
.
Language
The Jebala speak a non-hilalian Arabic dialect, which is influenced by the neighboring Berber languagesBerber languages
The Berber languages are a family of languages indigenous to North Africa, spoken from Siwa Oasis in Egypt to Morocco , and south to the countries of the Sahara Desert...
and by the Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
following the occupation of the area by Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
during the protectorate era.
Clothing
The traditional clothing for women includes shawls called "mendils" made from cotton or wool. These rectangular shawls are often woven in stripes of white and red in the region. They are wrapped around the waist to form skirts. They are also used as shawls and securing holding babies or goods on the back or front of the body.The traditional man's outer garment is the djellaba
Djellaba
Djellaba is a traditional long, loose-fitting outer robe with full sleeves worn in the Maghreb region of North Africa and in Arabic-speaking countries along the Mediterranean.Traditionally djellabas are made of wool in different shapes and colors though nowadays...
, a one piece cotton or woolen cloak with a pointed hood. In the Jebela region the wool is usually un-dyed so dark brown and off-white colours are common. White djellabas are worn for religious festivals.
The Jelaba favour pointed toed leather slippers. Natural light brown, yellow and white are the most common colours.
Reed hats are another traditional feature of Jebala dress for both men and women.
Women's hats are often adorned with woven woollen tassels and roping of black, white and red in variations.