Somali Dirac

The dirac, also known as shiid or baati, is a long, typically ankle-length gown worn by Somali women.
The most popular time to wear a dirac is when there is a celebration or special occasion, such as a wedding, party, festival, etc. Among many other materials, it is typically constructed of chiffon, silk (which is typically the sheerest version of dirac), or velvet (which is one of the least see-through). It is always worn with a gorgorad/googarad, an ankle-length underskirt, and a garbasaar, a wrap or shawl that is draped carelessly or neatly over one shoulder. The term “dirac guntiino” refers to the wrapping of the dirac in the Guntiino fashion.

Somali brides don’t wear the above-mentioned dirac style; instead, they don what is known as a “bridal dirac,” which is just an embroidered dirac with a gold belt and an embroidered garbasaar.

Another variety is the cotton baati/dirac shiid, which is typically worn as a housedress. Due to Somali trade within those nations, this form is particularly well-liked throughout all of East Africa and is regarded as a basic article of apparel.
The Dirac was invented by a group of Somali women on the coast of Northern Somalia, specifically in Somaliland, sometime between the 1700s and 1800s. It gained popularity in Somaliland/Djibouti in the early to mid 1900s, and the term “bacwayne,” which means “big baggy,” did the same in Djibouti from the 1950s to the 1970s.
[1] Subsequently, it expanded progressively to the remainder of Somalia. It was made of vibrant cloth, part of it domestically produced and some of it imported. Due to the migration of Somali traders, merchants, and the general diaspora, it was later adopted by nearby nations like Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Oman, as well as portions of Kenya, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

Due to the similarities in layering, the dirac set (dirac, gorgarad, and garbasaar) is probably a flashier version of the earlier traditional Somali clothing known as Sadex qayd.

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