Jorabs

Dagestan-style jorabs

Jorabs are multicolored socks with intricate patterns, knitted from the toe-up. They are usually worn in such a way as to display rich decoration.

Etymology

The word jorab originates from the Arabic word جورب (jourab) which has a general meaning of "socks." Other known variants of the term are “çorap" (Turkish), "чорап" (Bulgarian, Macedonian) "čarape" (Serbian), “corab" (Azerbaijani), "čarapa" (Bosnian), “Ҷӯроб" (Tajik), and "şətəl" (Tat).

The same concept is also known by such local terms as “kyulyutar” in Lezgin, “tturs” in Tsakhur, and “unq’al” in Avar languages of Dagestan.

Materials

Jorabs are made of wool, silk, nylon or sometimes cotton. Other materials include acrylic and blends of wool and cotton.

Geography

Jorabs with Bosnian toe

Jorabs are found in Central Asia (Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan), Caucasus (Dagestan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia) as well as in Iran and the mountainous areas of Pakistan. They are also known in the Balkan countries: Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey.

Shape

Jorabs can be knee-high, regular length, ankle-length, or made as slippers. An early predecessor of jorabs, a knee-high 12th century sock with toe-up construction and intricate patterns, was found in Egypt with possible origin in India.

Tools

Jorabs are usually knitted with 5 double-pointed needles. Bosnian and in old Tajik socks feature a combination of knitting and crochet techniques. Tajik jorabs (Pamirs area) can be made by using crochet technique only. Some ethnic groups from the Caucasus knit jorabs with 3 double-pointed bow-shaped needles.

References

  • MacedoniaDirect (July 13, 2009). "Traditional Macedonian Costumes Vol. 1" (PDF). Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2026 – via Scribd.
  • "Knitted Socks". Crafts-bg.com. Gotse Delchev Municipality, Bulgaria: Business Incubator. 2001. Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  • Vilensky, Larisa. "From Carpets to Jourabs". Crochet Insider. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  • "Antique Persian Silk Socks from Kurdistan". Textile As Art. Archived from the original on December 3, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2011.
  • "Jorab". Azerbaijan Carpets. Azerbaijan: Ministry of Culture and Tourism. 2010. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012.
  • Milgram, Miriam (2008). "Balkan Socks". What Was She Thinking. Kalinka Press. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved June 16, 2011.

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