Memo tourist in Tunisia. Women's national clothes

اللباس
الوطني التونسي

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Tunisia , despite its small territory, is a country of pronounced regionalism. Inhabitants different cities not only do they use dialect words inherent only to them, prepare dishes according to their own recipes and celebrate holidays in their own way, but, of course, they dress differently. Speaking of the Tunisian national costume, it would be more correct to use the plural - after all, there are a lot of national costumes in Tunisia.

The general trend women's national attire is as follows: in the north of the country (in the capital, Bizerte, Tabarka, even in Hammamet), the folk costume is more liberated. For example, the women of the Hammamet-Nabeul region wear knee-length white lace trousers peeking out from under a long sequined waistcoat - a thing unheard of in, say, Gabes or Douz.

Residents of the city of Tunisia can even boast of a traditional costume that exposes the stomach: a kind of top with a not weak neckline even by European standards and a long bell skirt, and between them is a strip of bare skin. The chaste option involves the presence of a grid, more daring Tunisians do without it.

The national women's costume of the Tunisian Sahel coast includes an upper hoodie dress, obtained by wrapping a five-meter piece of fabric around the body and pinning it with pins on the right and left of the chest. Depending on the city, the attire is called differently: "temple" in Mahdia, "halal" in the hinterland of the center of the country, "melhafa" on the island of Djerba.

The material of these cuts, respectively, is also different: in the center and on Djerba it is cotton, in the areas of the front south it is artificial silk. By the way, it is amazing to see silks of local women burning in the sun against the backdrop of the meager landscape of the pre-Saharan regions. The seemingly dazzling wealth has a simple explanation: natural cotton is expensive here, but artificial fiber is almost a penny.

Women from Mahdia shine in hand-woven clothes from natural silk. In general, speaking of the cost of the full national costume, the most expensive robes are from the natives of Hammamet (due to complex welt embroidery) and Mahdia - just thanks to high cost clothing made from natural silk fibers.

The usual costume of the inhabitants of Djerba - a white melhaf bedspread with three rows of orange and black stripes - is complemented by a pointed straw hat with a fringe released along the edges. And the natives of the northern Raf-Raf can boast of a beautiful white and blue shirt, embroidered with a cage and patterns.

Kobkabs are traditionally worn on the feet - slippers on wooden soles with soft leather or hard silver jumpers. And of course, an indispensable accessory - anklets.

Of course, women's clothes are much more diverse than men's clothes. In cities, the vast majority of young women have adopted the European style, but women of a certain age, even in urban areas, are often shrouded in a sefseri—a white veil of silk or fine wool that covers the head in a blouse and baggy pants. This dress is very traditional. In the countryside, women still wear brightly colored dresses, often in the Berber style and made of blue or red cotton, representing their region or village. Dresses / kaftans / have slits on the sides, reaching almost to the waist in the waist, which is intercepted by a belt with a belt with two buckles.

Women of all ages usually wear a huge amount of jewelry with their clothes and it is common to see women with dozens, even hundreds of golden sovereigns, necklaces and other trimmings around the neck and on the sides of the headdress.

Women's wedding dresses are very colorful and varied. These ceremonial costumes also have regional differences. We will talk about a wedding in Tunisia in one of the following posts.

Men's clothes much more uniform and traditional.

In the countryside, for example, the jebba is considered a ceremonial garment. White in summer, gray in winter, it is a sleeveless tunic, the man also wears a shirt, vest, baggy pants (so-called seroual). On weekdays, they wear only simple trousers and a long shirt / or a woolen tunic /. IN winter time they wear a thick woolen cloak, usually with a hood, and in the north the so-called kachabiya, which differs from the latter in its brown and white stripes.

In the pictures below: this is how the male population in Tunisia dresses.

How to behave in Tunisia (I know a couple of prohibitions there, that you can’t look at women in a veil “point-blank”, take pictures of the police, Tunisians themselves only with permission to take pictures)? In what clothes to go to a restaurant? - I understand that you won’t go to dinner in shorts and slates, but maybe there are some rules in Tunisia? Can fruit be taken out of the restaurant? Take drinks at the bar and calmly go to your room, where you can sit on the balcony, admire the sea while drinking a cocktail or wine?
Another question, though not on the topic: what kind of golf club is there in Hammamat? My husband really wants to play golf. Whoever went, played?

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This is not the first time I have read this question. Well, what do you think? Nowhere you can take food out of the restaurant - it's not allowed. That's why there are restaurants and bars in hotels to eat there. There is also a room service, paid when food is brought to the room. But if you bring fruit, it is unlikely that they will be taken away from you, but thank God I have never seen such a show at our hotel, especially since with all-inclusive meals you can eat fruit all day long, no one forbids you to come once again to a restaurant and eat fruit.

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At the hotel for dinner, men are allowed ONLY in trousers. It is very unpleasant that the appeal about what clothes are not allowed to attend dinner is written only in Russian, the rest is enough with what is written in the guest card.
For the first time I hear about the ban on looking at women in traditional clothes, but you can’t take pictures yet government agencies, the presidential residence nearby in Carthage, and photographing people only with their consent is not the rules of the country, but simply the rules of good manners. About the fact that it is impossible to photograph on an excursion - they specifically stipulate more than once. I advise you to follow these tips when visiting museum objects, where photography is carried out for separate fee at 1 dinar, pay and keep checks, although many will happily rub their hands and jump with happiness about how cool they have heated, for example, the Bardo Museum.

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No one will snatch a drink from your hands if you take them at the bar and take them to your room, but in general they are supposed to be drunk at a bar, by the pool, in a cafe, etc.

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I wasn’t there, but there was a table in the hotel with a specially trained person who told everything about the golf courses and the transfer from the hotel to these fields was free, however, subject to the purchase of some kind of package ... though we came up to see ... the prices there were some sickly ones .. then more than 500 bucks ... but for how many days it was and what was included in it, we did not begin to understand.

Also - I don’t know if this is a ban, but I didn’t see anyone eating on the go on the street ... not in a hotel, but on the street ... well, of course - it’s not supposed to drink alcohol while walking on the street, not in a hotel , namely on the street.

Photo ban: you can not take pictures of all institutions where the state hangs. flag. And also bridges. Guides usually warn about this. In Carthage, they are sure to be reminded of the ban on shooting in the direction of the presidential palace. And from the roof in the "Tunisian House" in Sidi Bou Said opens beautiful panorama in all directions, there we were not reminded of the ban :) And it seems to me that the palace (its park) also got into our photos.

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on FB, if you grab an apple or a peach, no one will swear, I saw many foreigners take yogurt and fruit with them for children, this is just an if for those who are not ALL

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I advise you to buy wine in the "Generale" is much cheaper, the choice is larger and you can enjoy it to the fullest (just remember to bring a corkscrew with you)

When going on vacation to Tunisia, of course, the question arises of how to dress here to dress in order to look stylish, feel comfortable and not violate local rules.

Clothing in Tunisia

Tunisia is a Muslim state, but the attitude towards tourists here is quite loyal, and religious restrictions are not observed so strictly. Therefore, when wondering what clothes to take to Tunisia, decide, first of all, on the recreation program.

If you intend to spend time only within your hotel, then give preference to your usual one. It can be light T-shirts, tops, open blouses, shorts, mini skirts, sundresses and light dresses. In a word, the clothes in which you are as comfortable as possible. On the territory of some hotels you can even see women sunbathing topless. For evening events, of course, you should choose more elegant clothes.

If you plan to get acquainted with the sights of a particular city, especially assuming to visit the capital or the old Muslim quarters, there can be no talk of any open, tight or revealing outfits. During excursions to holy places, it is also obligatory to cover your knees and shoulders.

How do girls dress in Tunisia?

Some tourists mistakenly believe that in Tunisia, outside their hotels, girls and women should follow Muslim traditions in dress. Not at all. Tunisia is the former French colony. It can be called a more Europeanized state, compared to Turkey or Egypt. Here you can often meet Tunisian girls dressing like ordinary European youth - in short skirts, with bright makeup and jewelry. Many girls and young women (especially from economically prosperous cities or tourist areas) are guided by the fashion of Europe. Therefore, you should not particularly focus on the issue of “correct” clothing in Tunisia, just enjoy your vacation.