The Sudanese Tobe, a traditional women costume, enjoys a distinguished position in the Sudanese society with a deeply-rooted history where it is essential in any women wardrobe, not to mention that it has become an inseparable part of the Sudanese culture and a promoter for the Sudanese cultural identity.

The Sudanese Tobe is known for its stylish beauty which made it a theme of many Sudanese poems and lyrics.

In this respect, the renowned Sudanese singer Abu Araki Al-Bakheet has a famous song about the Sudanese Tobe that reads as follows:

 

“I have seen the Tobe and never seen what is more gorgeous,

If so is the Tobe, then how the person dressing in the Tobe would look!!

Late Ibrahim Al Ahau, also a famous Sudanese singer, has repeated a song featuring the beauty of the Sudanese Tobe:

“I have seen the dear love decently dressing in the Tobe, oh; it has added to your splendor, dear charming love…”

In fact many Sudanese singers have expressed their love and pride of the Sudanese Tobe including late Ahmed Al-Mustafa, Mohamed Wardi and others.

Regarding whether the Tobe is of Sudanese origin or imported, Omaima Mohamed Qurashi, a Sudanese student and a folklore researcher, said that a number of studies have proved that the Tobe had appeared since the Sudanese Bajrawiya civilization, i.e. more than 10.000 years ago.

She noted that it was a national costume for the queens, explaining that some studies indicated that Queen Kandaka was the first woman who put on the Sudanese Tobe.

She said the first Sudanese Tobe appeared in two types, the first was known as the Kanja and the second Al-Zaraq or what is known as Al-Neela and which is made of woven strings of the Sudanese cotton.

She went on saying that latter appeared Sudanese Tobes such as Al-Taraqa and the blank Krip which was brought from Egypt by merchants known in Sudan as Al-Nagada, noting that Al-Kirip Tobe is characterized by its black color and soft fabric.

Al-Kirib, which is also known as Masr Al-Baida, was a treat of the rich women, she said, adding that after Al-Kirib, appeared Al-Farda Tobes which are also made of the Sudanese cotton.

Omaima further stated that the Sudanese Tobe then continued developing until modern Sudanese Tobes started to dominate the marked to replace the old fashions, saying that during the dual rule and after the independence, new collections of imported Sudanese Tobes started to appear bearing names indicating the political and social events at that time such as Al-Diplomacy, Aspou Al-Mar’a, Shamal-Naseem, Al-Kadir, Al-Istiqlal (the Independence), Al-Dala, Abu Gigaija, Police Al-Najda (the traffic police) and others.

The Sudanese tobe has witnessed several changes in terms of design and size, where Omaima affirmed that the Sudanese tobe used to be of two pieces of the same shape and length, four and a half meter each, pointing out that the two pieces are woven together in a parallel manner.

She added that presently the imported Sudanese tobe has become one piece but with the same length and width of the old tobe, i.e. four and a half meter, which is perfect to cover the whole woman’s body.

Ustaza Tahani Abu Bakr, a costume designer in Khartoum North, on her part, said the Sudanese tobe in the past used to have names indicating the country of origin such as Al-Bangali, in reference to Bangladesh, Risalat London, the Indian Sari and others, but presently, and because many Arab, European, Asian countries and others started to produce the Sudanese tobe, it gained many names reflecting the latest political and social developments at the local and international levels.

She further reviewed the Sudanese tobe in terms of types and materials including cotton, silk and chiffon, pointing out that the Swiss-made Total is still toping the Sudanese tobes as for its high quality and style not to mention that it suits Sudan’s climate despite its high prices.

She said Switzerland is the biggest producer of the Sudanese tobe, pointing out that the Swiss designers follow up the Sudanese market and monitor the trends of the Sudanese tobe styles to create the most fashionable types.

Regarding the shapes of the Sudanese tobe, she said the designs and color include drawings, embroidered, blank and water-colored designs, explaining that all these matters are governed by the fashion and style.

She further said that the occasion define the color of the tobe when purchased, noting that the white is for mourning, explaining that when a woman’s husband dies, she keeps on wearing the white toub until her legal mourning period is over.

She reiterated that the white in Sudan indicates sorrow unlike other countries where the people dress in black to express their sorrow, pointing out that there is also Al-Jertik tobe, usually red, which is part of the marriage rituals nation-wide.

However, she said there is an exception with regard to the white tobe as all government female employees wear it as part of work costume, pointing out that though colored tobes have recently been allowed in some institutions, yet other institutions do not allow them, particularly the Republican Palace and the Council of Ministers.

In the meantime, Sudanow interviewed a number of Sudanese women about the Sudanese tobe where all of them reiterated that it is still the most favoured which distinguishes the Sudanese woman.

They affirmed that they adhere to the Sudanese tobe despite the many imported alternative fashions such as the Gulf Abaya (garment), stressing that the imported fashions would never replace the Sudanese tobe for its civilizational and heritage value.

They said the Sudanese tobe is decent and reflects the Sudanese woman’s style and good taste despite its renewable designs.

They described the world of the Sudanese tobe as rich and renewable despite its typical designing manner which does not contradict the usual Sudanese tobe which lasted regardless of globalization, the TV satellites and cultural openness which have not affected the Sudanese tobe but given it new names such as Al-internet, Al-Dish, Naivasha, Hamsal-Khaleej and others.

Additionally, the Sudanese tobe is a traditional woman costume and an important indicator of the economic status of the woman’s husband where the quality and the price of the tobe define the buyer and therefore it’s a means of showing pride among women, particularly during social events where the women compete to wear the most fashionable tobes.

Here, we must mention that any social occasion has a specific type of tobe, for instance, when a woman visits her neighbours, she puts on a simple tobe known as tobeal-Jiran (the neighbours’ tobe) and so on.

The term tobe (cloth) is an absolute term for any dress, but it has a very special meaning for the Sudanese woman as it represents the most important component in her national costume. The tobe therefore constitutes the title of the women’s social and economic status and tops the gifts brought to all women regardless of their age, not to mention that the quality and the price of the tobe reveals the woman’s taste and style.

By Suad Mohamed Salih