Djellaba Power!

The best purchase I have made on my Moroccan trip so far is my Black and Gold Djellaba, in fact, it ranks as one of the most useful travel purchases ever for me. Why does rocking a Djellaba for a Trini make sense?

1. Moroccans are instantly impressed that you are wearing a Djellaba, especially if it is a nice one.
2. It is an instant ice breaker. People always ask what you paid for it. A good guide is that a functional stylish Djellaba should cost nothing more than 400 dirhams (50$ CDN), even this is expensive but if you want something that is nice and light and made from good material, then 600-800 dirhams seems to be reasonable. Remember in bargaining, the price is not as relevant as much as the agreement and happiness of both parties in the purchase.
3. I have not gotten hassled once by touts, tourist guides or beggars – as long as I shut my mouth or used basic french words.
4. If you’re traveling with tourists, Moroccans will automatically serve you first or bypass everyone else to come talk to you.
5. It is a very useful anti-theft deterrent. Your pockets are just not available for pickpockets.
6. It’s quite a good shield against the sun or dust. Simply pull the hood over your head. This combined with good sunglasses also makes one look more Moroccan.
7. When traveling on buses or trains, using the hood means you don’t have rest your head on the dirty head rests.
8. They are great windbreakers also when combined with a decent shirt.
9. Djellabas can help your bargaining power, since you automatically are perceived to know what you’re doing, as well as perceived to have spent sometime in Morocco, so vendors will not automatically assume that you have a “Jackass” sign on your forehead.
10. Djellabas are better than Sherwanis or Indian styled suits, since only the King or wealthy businessmen wear these types. Simple guide … Djellabas have hoods and everything else doesn’t.

If you don’t know what a Djellaba is … Wiki is good enough