What is a Kaftan?
If you have seen movies or documentaries about old Middle Eastern/Arabian cultures of Asia you'd probably have come across one or two characters dressed in a long loosely fitted shirt like robe mostly but not particularly worn as an overcoat.
If you remember seeing something like that in the context described above then you most probably have just come across the attire popularly known as Kaftan, a symbol of royalty and bluebloodedness in ancient Mesopotamia.
For visuals sake here's a picture of a person dressed in a Kaftan
Origination of the Kaftan
Mesopotamia(present day Iraq)is regarded as being the first known civilization to have adopted the use of the Kaftan for the members of the royal family and the royal court members.
The usage of Kaftan spread from its origin to different cultures around the world with different variations of the Kaftan springing up as it continued to get adopted.
Check out this image of the Russian Kaftan
List of civilizations that have adopted the common use of Kaftan in history
Since the inception of Kaftan, its usage has spread around different parts of the world. A lot of these adoptions by other nations has led to customizations of the original Kaftan design in these places to fit the fancy of the populace there.
Below are a list of known Kaftan variation based on other cultures adoption and customization
Among others.
Perception and symbolic role of Kaftan in history till present day
The Kaftan in history was widely seen as sign of affluence and elitism by people in tribes that have adopted the use of Kaftan in the olden days.
In the Ottoman empire Kaftans were recorded to have been used as gift from subjects seeking favor from their emperor, as gift from the king to his soldiers and to emperors of nations under the Ottoman rule.
Highly styled and ornamented Kaftans were worn by Ottoman Sultans throughout history. Also, in Jewish culture Kaftans are used for Sabbath and festive/ceremonial proceedings and is even adopted by some groups as official attire.
In West Africa today, there is a big market for elegantly designed female styled Kaftan with a lot of femalie customers always ready to pay top of the line for new premium Kaftan designs, this owes to the classy and free feel that comes with wearing a female Kaftan.
Here's an image of a female Kaftan style
Conclusion
I like the sleek design of modern day female Kaftans, they always look really simple and classy but I kind of feel male Kaftans have gone out of style, though some variations of the male Kaftan is still in use in North Africa and the Middle East, generally nowadays men prefer to go for less cumbersome attires.
What do you think about the Kaftan? Is it fashionable in your opinion. Let's discuss.
Posted from HypeTurf