Burnous


A burnous, also burnoose, bournous or barnous, is a long cloak of coarse woollen fabric with a hood, usually white in color, worn by the Berbers and other Maghrebis. In the Maghreb, the colour of the burnous is white, beige, or dark brown. The white burnous is worn during important events and by people with high positions.

Burnous in other cultures

The burnous became a distinctive part of the uniform of the French Army of Africa's spahi cavalry, recruited in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. It was also sometimes worn unofficially by officers or soldiers of other units in North Africa. The white burnous remains part of the parade uniform of the one remaining spahi regiment of the French Army: the 1st Spahi Regiment.
Other names for a burnous include albornoz, sbernia, sberna, and bernusso.