Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Surprise meSurprise meSubscribe
Encyclopedia

Safseri

Traditional Tunisian veil worn by women

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
1 min read
Source updated October 10, 2024
Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

The safseri (Tunisian Arabic: سفساري), sometimes also spelled sefseri, safsari or sefsari, is a traditional Tunisian veil worn by women. Not to be confused with Chador or Dupatta, it is a unique cloth to Tunisia.

01Composition

The 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.

Depending on the regions of Tunisia, it can also be very colorful, especially in the south of the country.

02Wear

It 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.

The cloth is today largely abandoned.

Watch videos about SafseriExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Safseri”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.