Haik (garment)

The haik (Arabic: الحايك) is a female garment worn in Algeria particularly in central Algeria, it is the equivalent of mlaya in eastern Algeria and ksaa in western Algeria,[1][2] and sefsari in Tunisia. It consists of a rectangular fabric covering the whole body,[3] 6 by 2.2 metres (19.7 ft × 7.2 ft) in length, rolled up then held at the waist by a belt and then brought back to the shoulders to be fixed by fibulae. It can be white or black, though is usually white

Algerian women wearing haik

Etymology

The word is borrowed from the Maghrebi Arabic word hayk, which comes from the Arabic verb haka which means "to weave". First used in French in the form heque (1654), it underwent many variations – hayque (1667), alhaic (1670), eque (1670), haic (1683), hayc (1686). The word haik in French was at first of the feminine gender (1725) and became masculine in 1830.[4]

Origins

Made from wool, silk or synthetic silk fabric, the haik succeeded, in a very short time, to spread through many regions of the country, but its wearing was adapted to the socio-cultural specificities of the region of adoption. Among this panoply, a type of veil knew a great success, with the women, considering its style of conception, the way of carrying it, as well as the quality of the fabric used by the craftsmen. It is the haïk m'rama, which appeared at the end of the nineteenth century and was worn by urban women of Algiers and its suburbs. This type of veil is often associated with female beauty and has inspired many poets and chaâbi singers, who dedicated many of their works.

The haik is of Arab-Andalusian origin,[5] and present throughout the Maghreb.[6][7] As for the color, it is of an immaculate white in Algiers, Tlemcen, Béjaïa and Oran, whereas in Constantine, it is black, and that in sign of mourning of the Salah Bey, Bey of Constantine.[8] Tunisian woman also wear a similar version known as sefsari.

A variation on the haik called the huik was worn from the 14th until the late 19th century in the Netherlands and Belgium, usually black and made of wool or silk. It was worn by women as a protection against bad weather. Later variants were worn during a period of mourning.

Present-day use
  • In Algeria, the haik tends to be abandoned, expect for old women that tend to keep it. However, algerian breads wearing in the mariage and special events. [9]
  • In Morocco, the use of haik has all but disappeared, except in the cities of Chefchaouen, Essaouira and Figuig, and rare appearances by old women in Oujda.[10] The color of the haik is black or blue in the cities of Taroudant and Tiznit.
  • In Tunisia, the sefseri, a Tunisian variant of haik made of a single piece of cloth that does not cover the face, has been virtually abandoned. However it is still sometimes traditionally worn,[11] especially by older women.
  • Algiers, Algeria.
  • Algerian woman fishing with her haik.
  • Mascara, Algeria.
  • Oran, Algeria.
  • Algerian women wearing Haik.
  • Algerian women fishing in 60s.

See also

References
  1. E.J. Brill's First Encyclopaedia of Islam 1913-1936. BRILL. 1987. p. 220. ISBN 90-04-08265-4.
  2. "The Shroud Over Algeria: Femicide, Islamism and the Hijab". Archived from the original on 2014-01-26. Retrieved 2016-08-09.
  3. Ambroise Queffélec; Yacine Derradji; Valéry Debov; Dalila Smaali-Dekdouk; Yasmina Cherrad-Benchefra (2002). Le français en Algérie: Lexique et dynamique des langues. Brussels: Duculot. p. 343. ISBN 2-8011-1294-1.
  4. Alain Rey, Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Le Robert, Paris, 1992 ISBN 2-85036-187-9.
  5. "Histoire du Hayek". www.daraziza.com. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
  6. Hugh Murray (1838). The Encyclopædia of Geography: Comprising a Complete Description of the Earth, Physical, Statistical, Civil, and Political ... Carey, Lea and Blanchard. p. 15.
  7. "El-Haik, une histoire à découvrir...au musée des arts populaires de Médéa". Al Huffington Post. 29 June 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  8. "El Haïk, une étoffe symbole de pureté". dziriya.net. Retrieved 2016-01-24.
  9. "Le haïk, attribut de la femme Algéroise n'est plus | Radio Algérienne". radioalgerie.dz (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-19.
  10. Fouzia Benzakour; Driss Gaadi; Ambroise Queffélec (2000). Le français au Maroc: Lexique et contacts de langues. Brussels: Duculot. p. 213. ISBN 2-8011-1260-7.
  11. Ann Jousiffe (2008). Tunisia. New Holland Publishers. p. 25. ISBN 978-1-84537-864-6.


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