The Mansouria, when trend turns into a political assertion

When Sultan Ahmed al-Mansur ascended the throne of the Saadi dynasty in 1578, he got down to showcase the newfound energy and prosperity gained from the Portuguese defeat, a victory that introduced each status and wealth.

Shortly after assuming the throne, he launched the formidable development of the El Badi Palace in Marrakech, an emblem of a brand new period. He additionally shaped alliances with Western powers, notably with the English, by a sequence of diplomatic missions to London.

Above all, he sought to distance himself from the shut ties his late brother, Sultan Marwan Abd al-Malik—who died within the battle towards the Portuguese at Ksar el-Kebir—had established with the Ottomans.

Vogue as a political assertion

This break from the Ottomans went past politics; it prolonged to trend. Ahmed al-Mansur understood the ability of trend as a historic and political assertion. Not like his brother, who had spent 17 years in Ottoman-controlled territories and adopted Ottoman apparel at court docket, al-Mansur sought to revive conventional Moroccan costume.

In response to Moroccan historian Nabil Mouline in his analysis paper «Le Califat imaginaire d’Ahmad al-Mansûr: Pouvoir et diplomatie au Maroc au XVIe siècle», Abd al-Malik’s publicity to Ottoman tradition had led him to desert the longstanding Moroccan costume customs. Mouline notes, «This prince, who had lived most of his life in Ottoman lands, determined to undertake their costume code and even imposed it on his topics».

By dressing in luxurious Ottoman clothes and discarding the standard white apparel of former Saadi sultans, Abd al-Malik was not solely abandoning native custom however, in a manner, acknowledging Ottoman affect.

Nonetheless, when Ahmed al-Mansur got here to energy, he intentionally broke with this custom, restoring the «native custom of dressing» on the Saadi court docket. Mouline, drawing on experiences from the primary Spanish embassy to Morocco below al-Mansur in 1579, writes that al-Mansur «wore white garments within the Moroccan type and had a turban on his head». This return to conventional costume was a robust political assertion, signaling that al-Mansur «didn’t acknowledge Ottoman sovereignty».

Mouline additional explains, «Inside months of his accession, the Sultan restored the white colour as the logo of the Western Caliphate (Saadi state). The time period ‘Moroccan’ to explain the Sultan’s costume illustrates the distinction with the ‘Turkish’ type adopted by his predecessor». By doing so, al-Mansur was affirming the «independence and sovereignty» of the Saadi dynasty, a political stance the sultan termed «the Western Islamic caliphate».

Mansouria, innovating Moroccan trend

Al-Mansur didn’t merely revive custom; he additionally launched new types to Saadi trend. An outline by Spanish agent Jorge de Henin within the early seventeenth century gives perception into the apparel of Saadi rulers on the time. In response to Mouline, de Henin describes the sultan’s son Abu Faris as carrying «extensive trousers cinched on the waist by a silk belt embroidered alongside the perimeters, a shirt with slim sleeves and buttons on the wrists, and over it an extended, wide-sleeved garment referred to as a mansuriya (Mansouria)».

This garment, the Mansouria, was a brand new addition attributed to Sultan Ahmed al-Mansur. Made from high-quality muslin and particularly designed for him, the mansouria later grew to become recognized by his title. Historian Ahmad al-Maqqari al-Tilmisani, a recent of Ahmed al-Mansur, refers to this garment in Nafh at-Tib, a historic compendium of Al-Andalus and Morocco, describing the Mansouria as a «sort of clothes recognized in Morocco», crafted for the sultan and later named after him.

In response to sources on conventional Moroccan clothes, the Mansouria was usually worn over the caftan. Initially worn by each women and men, it will definitely grew to become a press release piece for ladies, particularly these in cities.

The e-book Costumes of Morocco notes that the Mansouria served because the izar—an outer garment—particularly widespread amongst rich city ladies who wore it as an alternative of the extra frequent izar. «The izar is longer and fabricated from muslin, with extensive sleeves, resembling the dfina of the cities, often known as farajtya or mansuriya», reads the e-book.

It provides, «All these mild cottons and adorned muslins are imported. They’re purchased in close by city souks and convey city luxurious to the countryside, step by step changing easy cottons, now reserved for every day put on».

The Mansouria, later known as farajiya, was worn over the caftan, usually fabricated from muslin to disclose the magnificence of the garment beneath. Together with different conventional Moroccan apparel such because the gandoura, takchita, and djellaba, this garment has endured by the ages, illustrating the methods by which politics can form and protect trend.