Turkic kaftan The caftan appears to be the oldest Turkish dress; this costume can be traced as far back as the
Hun and
Göktürk periods. The kaftan was the favourite garment worn in Turkic states of Central Asia, the Turkic Empire in India, the
Seljuk Turks and the
Ottomans. It was the most important component of the Seljuk period and the oldest known examples of this robe are said to have been found in Hun tombs. The costume of the Gokturk period consisted of long kaftans that are closed with a belt at the waist, these kaftans can be observed in Gokturk statues. The Seljuk Sultan
Ahmad Sanjar who ruled from 1097 to 1118 gave 1000 red kaftans to his soldiers. In 1058 as well as the period of the Seljuk Sultan
Malik-Shah I, the Seljuk Turks wore kaftans and excavations discovered a child's kaftan dating back to the reign of Sanjar-Shah who ruled from 1185 or 1186 to 1187. The tiles in the
Kubadabad Palace depict Turkish figures dressed in kaftans. The palace was built for Sultan Aladdin Kayqubad I who ruled from 1220 to 1237. Furthermore, typical Seljuk depictions from the 11th to the 13th century depict figures dressed in Turkish style kaftans. The kaftan was also worn by the Anatolian Seljuks who had even gifted kaftans to the first Ottoman Sultan, Osman I. In connection with the inheritance of
Osman I, the historian Neşri described a kaftan in the list of inherited items: "There was a short-sleeved kaftan of
Denizli cloth". In an excavation in Kinet in Turkey, a bowl dating back to the early 14th century was found with a depiction of a man wearing what appears to be a kaftan. Kaftans were worn by the
sultans of the
Ottoman Empire. Decoration on the garment, including colours, patterns, ribbons, and buttons, indicated the rank of the person who wore it. In the first half of the 14th century
Orhan Ghazi captured
Bursa and made it the Ottoman capital. One of the chief specialties of Bursa was gold embroidery among other weaving related specialties, an archive notes that two kaftans made of the finest Bursa gold-brocaded velvet were prepared for the circumcision of Geliboulu Bey Sinan Pasha's two sons in 1494. Ibn Battuta who had visited Anatolia witnessed that a mudarris was wearing a gown embroidered with golden pieces and that a Seljuk Bey gifted a kaftan that was embroidered with golden threads. From the 14th century through the 17th century, textiles with large patterns were used. By the late 16th and early 17th centuries, decorative patterns on the fabrics had become smaller and brighter. By the second half of the 17th century, the most precious kaftans were those with
yollu: vertical stripes with varying embroidery and small patterns – the so-called "Selimiye" fabrics. Most fabrics manufactured in Turkey were made in
Istanbul and
Bursa, but some textiles came from as far away as
Venice,
Genoa,
Persia (Iran),
India, and even
China. kaftans were made from velvet,
aba,
bürümcük (a type of crepe with a silk warp and cotton weft),
canfes,
çatma (a heavy silk
brocade),
gezi,
diba (),
hatayi,
kutnu,
kemha,
seraser () (brocade fabric with silk warp and gold or silver metallic thread weft), ''
, zerbaft
(), and tafta
(). Favoured colours were indigo, kermes, violet, pişmiş ayva'' or "cooked quince", and
weld yellow. Silk or wooled vests embellished with couched gold thread or silk embroidery probably represent the introduction of a Turkish feature into an Arab aesthetic. Nearly 2,500 caftans and other garments belonging to subsequent sultans from the 15th to the 19th century are preserved in the
Topkapı Palace museum. The Topkapı Palace houses 21 kaftan that belonged to
Mehmed II, 77 kaftan that belonged to
Suleiman the Magnificent, 13 that belonged to
Ahmed I, 30 that belonged to
Osman II and 27 that belonged to
Murad IV.
Algerian kaftan The kaftan has been historically documented to have been worn in Algeria in the beginning of the 16th century and the presence of the kaftan in Algeria dates far back to the
Rustamid period and is attested during the
Zirid period in the 10th century as well as the
Zayyanid period. The kaftan played an important role in the dress culture of the
Zayyanid era. The Zayyanid king
Abu Hammu Musa II would gift luxurious gold embroidered kaftans to his aides and couriers. In his
Topography and General History of Algiers, described it as a coloured robe made of satin, of damask, of velvet and silk and having a form that reminded him of the priests' cassocks. The Dey wore the kaftan with dangling sleeves; the
khodjas (secretaries) wore a very long cloth based kaftan, falling to the ankles; the
chaouchs (executors of the justice of the dey) were recognized by a green kaftan with sleeves either open or closed, according to their rank. The kaftan was also worn by the janissaries in the 17th and part of the 18th century. a mid-calf jacket that combined Morisco and Ottoman influences, but which evolved following a very specific Algerian style from the sixteenth century onward. Between the sixteenth and seventeenth century, middle-class women started wearing the '
. The use of brocades and quality velvet, the profusion of embroidery and gold threading were not enough to satisfy the need for distinction of the wealthiest Algerians who choose to lengthen the ' all the way to the ankles to make a kaftan that became the centrepiece of the ceremonial costume, while the '''' was confined to the role of daily clothing. In the Ottoman era, the textile production significantly contributed to the traditional economy of Ottoman Algeria. Garments such as the kaftan, djabadouli, karakou, djellaba and the burnous were produced. The wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen, known as
chedda of Tlemcen., which features the Algerian caftan, was inscribed to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by
UNESCO in 2012, in recognition of its cultural significance. On December 4, 2024, UNESCO inscribed the ceremonial women's costume of the Eastern region of Algeria: know-how and skills related to the making and ornamentation of the "Gandoura" and the "Melehfa" on its
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This element concerns the "Communities of seamstresses, embroiderers and jewelers of the eastern departments of the country specializing in the Gandoura, the Melehfa, the Caftan, the Quat, the Lhef and the ceremonial officiants". On December 11, 2025, the title of the element was updated as follows: The ceremonial women's costume of the Eastern region of Algeria: knowledge and skills related to the making and ornamentation of the Gandoura, the Melehfa, the Caftan, the Quat and the Lhef.
Moroccan kaftan According to the
Encyclopaedia of Islam, the kaftan was introduced into the
Barbary States by the Ottomans and spread by fashion as far as Morocco. According to art historian Rachida Alaoui, the kaftan in Morocco dates back to the end of the 15th century and goes back to the region's Moorish history, which represents the medieval heritage of
Al-Andalus. However, the first
written record of the garment being worn in Morocco is from the 16th century, she states. According to
Naima El Khatib Boujibar, however, the kaftan might only have been introduced to Morocco by the
Saadi Sultan
Abd al-Malik, who had lived in
Algiers and
Istanbul. Abd al-Malik, who had officially acknowledged Ottoman overlordship throughout his time as ruler of Morocco, dressed in Ottoman fashion, spoke Turkish, reorganised his army and administration in imitation of Ottoman practices and used Ottoman Turkish titles for his officials. He implemented an Ottomanization policy, dressed himself like an Ottoman and wore Ottoman kaftans, during this period Moroccan society also underwent Ottomanization and it is believed that the Ottoman kaftan entered Morocco as a result of this. The second half of the sixteenth century was a period of Ottoman influence in Morocco during which Ahmad al-Mansur, who was greatly influenced by Ottoman culture, adopted Turkish costumes and customs, he introduced Ottoman fashions of dress, his army adopted Turkish costumes and titles and ambassadors even noted the use of Turkish pottery and Turkish carpets in the Badi Palace. Aspects of Ottoman culture had been introduced to Morocco during the reign of both Abd al-Malik and Ahmad al-Mansur and Abd al-Malik's brief reign opened a period which continued under his successor of the "Turkification" of Morocco.
Henri Terrasse asserted that Moroccan embroidery styles are almost all derived from the former regions of the Turkish empire, the introduction of gold thread embroidery into North Africa itself is reputed to have been introduced with Turkish rule. Worn by the dignitaries and women of the palace at first, it became fashionable among the middle classes from the late 17th century onwards. Today in Morocco, kaftans are worn by women of different social groups and the word kaftan is commonly used to mean a "one-piece traditional fancy dress". Alternative two-piece versions of Moroccan kaftans are called
takchita and worn with a large belt. The takchita is also known as
Mansouria which derives from the name of Sultan
Ahmad al-Mansur, who invented Al-Mansouria, which likely derived from Ottoman dress, and the new fashion of wearing a two-piece kaftan. In 2022, the
Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) inscribed the Moroccan caftan and the brocade of Fez on its Islamic World Heritage List. On 10 December 2025,
UNESCO inscribed the element "
Moroccan Caftan: art, traditions and skills" on its
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as part of Morocco's intangible cultural heritage.
West African kaftan In
West Africa, a kaftan is a pullover robe, worn by both men and women. The women's robe is called a
kaftan, and the men's garment is referred to as a Senegalese kaftan. A Senegalese kaftan is a pullover men's robe with long bell-like sleeves. In the
Wolof language, this robe is called a
mbubb and in French, it is called a
boubou. The Senegalese kaftan is an ankle-length garment, and is worn with matching
drawstring pants called
tubay. Usually made of cotton brocade, lace, or synthetic fabrics, these robes are common throughout West Africa. A kaftan and matching pants are called a kaftan suit. The kaftan suit is worn with a
kufi cap. Senegalese kaftans are formal wear in all West African countries.
Persian Persian kaftan robes of honour were commonly known as
khalat or kelat.
North Asia and Eastern Europe Russian In
Russia, the word "kaftan" is used for another type of clothing: a style of men's long suit with tight sleeves. Going back to the people of various
Baltic,
Turkic,
Varangian (
Vikings) and
Iranic (
Scythian) tribes who inhabited today's Russia along with the
Slavic population, kaftan-like clothing was already prevalent in ancient times in regions where later the
Rus' Khaganate and
Kievan Rus' states appeared. The Russian kaftan was probably influenced by Persian and/or Turkic people in Old Russia. The word "kaftan" was adopted from the Tatar language. In the 13th century, the kaftan was still common in Russia. In the 19th century, Russian kaftans were the most widespread type of outer-clothing amongst peasants and merchants in Old Russia. Currently in the early 21st century, they are most commonly used as ritual religious clothing by conservative
Old Believers, in Russian fashion (Rusfashion), Russian folk dress and with regards to
Russian folklore.
Jewish children with a school teacher in
Samarkand, wearing kaftans (circa 1910).
Hasidic Jewish culture adapted a silky robe (
bekishe) or
frock coat (
kapoteh, Yiddish word
kapote or Turkish synonym
chalat) from the garb of
Polish nobility, which was itself a type of kaftan. The term
kapoteh may originate from the Spanish
capote or possibly from "kaftan" via
Ladino.
Sephardic Jews from Muslim countries wore a kaftan similar to those of their neighbours.
Southeast Asian In
Southeast Asia, the kaftan was originally worn by
Arab traders, as seen in early lithographs and photographs from the region. Religious communities that formed as Islam became established later adopted this style of dress as a distinguishing feature, under a variety of names deriving from Arabic and Persian such as "
jubah", a robe, and "cadar", a veil or
chador.
Europe and United States helped popularise the kaftan. In the recent era the kaftan was introduced to the West in the 1890s, Queen Victoria's granddaughter
Alix of Hesse wore a traditional Russian coronation dress before a crowd which included Western on-lookers, this traditional dress featured the loose-fitting Russian kaftan which was so exotic to Western eyes. These variations were usually sashless. This style had also began appearing as high fashion. American
hippie fashions of the late 1960s and the 1970s often drew inspiration from ethnic styles, including kaftans for women and men. These styles were brought to the United States by people who journeyed the so-called "
hippie trail". The types of forms of dresses and kaftans were among the rich.
Diana Vreeland,
Babe Paley, and
Barbara Hutton all helped popularize the kaftan in mainstream western fashion. Into the 1970s,
Elizabeth Taylor often wore kaftans designed by
Thea Porter. In 1975, for her second wedding to Richard Burton she wore a kaftan designed by
Gina Fratini. More recently, in 2011
Jessica Simpson was photographed wearing kaftans during her pregnancy. American fashion editor
André Leon Talley also wore kaftans designed by
Ralph Rucci as one of his signature looks. Beyoncé, Uma Thurman, Susan Sarandon, Kate Moss, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Nicole Richie have all been seen wearing the style. Some fashion lines have dedicated collections to the kaftan. ==Gallery==