Algiers – December 2025 – Algeria has once again asserted its cultural sovereignty on the international stage, securing a decisive victory in the ongoing battle to protect its authentic heritage from falsification and historical appropriation. During the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held in New Delhi, India, from 8 to 13 December 2025, Algeria reaffirmed the international registration of the Algerian caftan—a foundational emblem of its intangible cultural identity—first inscribed in 2012 within its national UNESCO files.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Culture and Arts, this renewed recognition strengthens the deep historical standing of the caftan within the Algerian identity, underscoring its authenticity and its enduring connection to the ancestral craftsmanship, rituals, and textile traditions passed down through generations.
During the committee’s proceedings, members unanimously approved the amendment and clarification of the original title of the 2012 national file, originally registered as “Rituals and craft skills related to the Tlemcen wedding attire ‘Lebset El Arftan’.” The committee validated a more accurate and explicit translation that directly highlights the centrality of the caftan, now recognised in English as “The Wearing of Kaftan” and in French as “Le port du Caftan.” This formulation consolidates, without ambiguity, the caftan’s rightful place within Algeria’s millennia-old cultural repertoire.
In addition, the committee unanimously endorsed the updated title of Algeria’s 2024 file, expanding its cultural scope to more comprehensively reflect the depth and variety of celebratory women’s garments across the Greater Eastern Algerian region. The revised title now reads:
“The Women’s Festive Attire of the Greater Eastern Algerian Region: Knowledge and Craft Skills in Sewing and Jewellery-Making for the Gandoura, Melhfa, Caftan, Qat and Lahaf.”
This expansion reflects Algeria’s conscious and determined effort to safeguard all the components of its cultural heritage and to showcase its richness, diversity, and regional specificity. It also reaffirms an indisputable fact: the Algerian caftan has been internationally registered and recognised for more than a decade, rendering any attempts to distort its origins, appropriate its symbolism, or erase its Algerian identity null and void.
This achievement stands as a new milestone in the growing influence of Algeria’s cultural diplomacy, which continues to defend the nation’s historical symbols and intangible legacy on global platforms with determination and lucidity.
In its statement, the Ministry of Culture and Arts declared:
“We are proud to enshrine the caftan as a global cultural legacy. This renewed and confirmed UNESCO recognition stands as a testament to the authenticity and depth of our history. The Algerian caftan… our heritage, and safeguarding it is a national duty.”
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