The safseri (Tunisian Arabic: سفساري), sometimes also spelled sefseri, safsari or sefsari, is a traditional Tunisian veil worn by women.[1] Not to be confused with Chador or Dupatta, it is a unique cloth to Tunisia.
Composition
editThe safseri is composed of a large piece of cloth covering the whole body. It usually has a cream colour and is made of cotton, satin or silk.[citation needed]
Depending on the regions of Tunisia, it can also be very colorful, especially in the south of the country.[2]
Wear
editIt is worn by women out of modesty to avoid male looks. In contemporary Tunisia, this cloth is mostly worn by senior women. Often a grandmother wears it while her daughter will not wear it. After the hijab was banned in Tunisia, some women began to wear the safseri. As a result, the president Habib Bourguiba had tried, in vain, to have people abandon its use.[3]
The cloth is today largely abandoned.[2]
References
edit- ^ Chiraz Bouzaien, « Le sefseri, une tradition qui disparaît », Baya, 14 juillet 2012.
- ^ a b Jean-Pierre Filiu et Jean-Noël Jeanneney, « La Tunisie de Bourguiba », Concordance des temps, France Culture, 15 février 2014, 42e minute.
- ^ « Bahia ou... ces femmes de Tunisie », Les femmes aussi, ORTF, 8 janvier 1968.