What is a babouche?
A babouche is a soft, comfortable leather shoe worn in the Arab-Muslim world. In Morocco the babouche has been worn for centuries. This traditional shoe has managed to transcend eras and find its place in the modern world.
Les babouches marocaines sont reconnues dans le monde entier, notamment pour les touristes qui se rendent à Marrakech, la ville ou l’on fabrique le plus de babouches.
The ancestral artisan knowledge of Morocco is recognized worldwide. It should be noted that Moroccan culture is one of the most rich in the world. Its techniques and art extend to everything related to daily life and even beyond.
The babouche is part of Morocco’s ancestral art as a key and essential element.
In all regions of Morocco, care is taken to make babouches ranging from simple to richly and originally decorated designs.
The babouche has been made in Morocco for centuries; the artisans strive to perpetuate its production using ancestral techniques. The leathers come from the tanneries of the Médina Boujloud in Fès, which are just as ancient. In Morocco the babouche is called “belgha” and differs from one region to another by its patterns and its shape; nevertheless it remains the most worn shoe because it is light and practical.
Traditionally made from goat or sheep leather, they are everyday shoes. On festive occasions they are nicely matched to Morocco’s traditional outfits. There are a multitude of babouche models.
Today even major fashion designers do not resist them. For example Yves Saint Laurent, the famous French couturier who fell in love with Marrakech, integrated the babouche into his creations.
Morocco is full of vast traditions and each one unfolds in the daily life of this millennia-old people.
