Textiles and Dress

Haik (garment)

The haik (also haïk; Arabic: حايك) is a traditional women's outer garment with a long documented history in Algeria. It consists of a large rectangular piece of fabric wrapped around the body and head over the wearer's clothing. In Algeria it was historically worn in a number of cities and regions, with differences in fabric, quality, terminology and manner of wearing according to locality and social circumstances. White became particularly associated with the haik in Algiers and other parts of northern and western Algeria. Historical examples were made from wool, cotton, silk or combinations of these materials. The National Bardo Museum in Algiers has devoted an exhibition and a 169-page publication to the garment under the title El haïk : identité algérienne au féminin ("The Haik: Algerian Identity in the Feminine").

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See also

• ▸Fred Perry
• ▸Basilica of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
• ▸Dance in China

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