The 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangiblet Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, held in New Delhi, India, on Thursday, December 11, 2025, clearly and explicitly recognized Algeria’s priority in registering the caftan as a fundamental component of its rich cultural heritage.
On this occasion, the same committee decided to amend the name of the element inscribed in 2024 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by explicitly including the caftan. The Algerian element will now bear the following new title: "Female festive dress of the Greater Algerian East: knowledge and skills associated with the sewing and decoration of the gandoura, melhfa, caftan, qat, and lihaf." The committee also approved amending the file entitled "Rituals and craft skills associated with the tradition of Tlemcen bridal dress," inscribed on the Representative List since 2012, by adding the phrase "the caftan dress" and translating it into French and English.
These decisions represent a significant new diplomatic success for Algeria, both on the international cultural stage and within the framework of multilateral diplomacy. They also strongly affirm the historical and cultural precedence of Algeria's inscription of the caftan on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and reinforce international recognition of this intangible heritage of exceptional value.
This decision reinforces Algeria's position on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is also a clear recognition and well-deserved culmination of the state's tireless efforts to value, preserve, and promote Algeria's rich cultural heritage, a product of centuries of history reflecting the deep-rooted heritage and authenticity of our nation. Furthermore, this explicit recognition validates the approach adopted in implementing the directives of the highest authorities in the country, aimed at ensuring the promotion of our cultural heritage in all its components and forms, and protecting it from all attempts at imitation, appropriation, and falsification