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Chéchias and Turbans of the Zouaves

NOTE: The headgear of the Zouaves and Turcos was the "chéchia", not the fez. A chéchia is like a fez, but is made of a thinner, softer wool (not the stiff tall affairs worn by Arabs).


3 chéchias of the French Zouaves. The center chéchia was worn by a sergeant as seen by the gold trim on the tassel.


Drawing by François CALAME

  • CHÉCHIA:The chéchia is made of scarlet wool felt, and is worn with a dark blue tassel. Enlisted men's tassels are made of wool, with non-com's tassels being made of silk, with the head of the tassel trimmed with flat gold braid. The soft felt hat is very adjustable, being worn every-which way. There were actually regulations for the wearing of the chéchia, with the 1st Regt. wearing it over the right ear, the 2nd Regt. wearing it over the left ear, the 3rd Regt. wearing it on the back of the head, and the 4th Zouaves (formerly Imperial Guard Zouaves) on the top of the head. During campainging, however, most Zouaves wore the chécia on the back or top of the head. The tassel was removed from the chèchia by regulation in the early 20th Century(Nov. 1927), but is rarely seen after the Great War(1914-1918), and then was only worn for Full Dress and studio photographs.

    Coll. G.LACOSTE


    Collection of Shaun Grenan

    The dimensions of the tassel were as follows:

  • number of strands - 165
  • length of fringe - 140 mm
  • diameter - 44 mm
  • height of the head (ball portion) - 10 mm
  • lenght of suspension cord - 170 mm


  • TURBAN (Also known as the chéche): The turban was worn for two reasons:
    1.) For protection from the sun and sands of the desert for the head and face.
    2.) If the wearer died, it would serve as a burial shroud. This was the original Muslim purpose for the turban, according to the text of the Koran / Quran. This was not a practice of the zouaves, but turbans did make good impromptu tourniquets and bandages.


    Imperial Guard Zouaves at the Camp at Châlons, 1857. Photo by Gustave Le Gray.

    From 1831-1842 the turban worn was red. In 1842, the Regiment of Zouaves was formed of the 3 separate battalions of Zouaves. The 1st Battalion, located in Algiers, wore red turbans. The 2nd Battalion, located in Oran, wore a white turban. The 3rd Battalion, located in Constantine, wore yellow turbans. When, in 1852, the 3 Battalions were the nucleus of 3 new Regiments of Zouaves, each Regiment adopted the color is its Battalion turban as the color of it's tombeaux and ALL 3 regiments wore a green turban until 1867 when white turbans were officially adopted. The Zouaves of the Imperial Guard Regiment wore the white turban since their regiment's inception in 1855. The official removal of the turban from dress was in 1903, but many men continued to wear turbans for full dress long afterwards. Around the beginning of the Great War, some turbans were even tea-dyed to present less of a target, whilst still allowing its owner to wear it.


    Turban from Shaun Grenan collection. Dimensions of 14" X 81".

    The dimensions of the turban were to be as follows:

  • width - 850 mm
  • length - 2,500 mm

    construction:

  • The turban was made of cotton cloth with a weft of 31-32 threads per centimeter, and a waft of 21-22 threads per centimeter.