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{{short description|Long woolen cloak with a hood, worn in North Africa}}
[[File:Burnus sulla spalla.jpg|thumb|Urban [[Algeria]]n man wearing a white/beige burnous, 19th{{nbsp}}century]]
A '''burnous''' ({{Langx|ar|برنوس|translit=burnūs}}), also '''burnoose''', '''burnouse''', '''bournous''' or '''barnous''', is a long [[cloak]] of coarse [[wool]]len fabric with a pointed hood, often white, traditionally worn by [[Arabs|Arab]] and [[Berbers|Berber]] men in North Africa.<ref>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Burnous |volume=4}}</ref> Historically, the white burnous was worn during important events by men of high positions. Today, men of different social standing may wear it for ceremonial occasions, such as weddings or on religious and national holidays.<ref>{{Cite book |last=CHANCEL |first=Ausone de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7jVcAAAAcAAJ&q=gandoura+&pg=PA3 |title=D'une immigration de noirs libres en Algérie |date=1858 |publisher=Bastide |pages=40 |language=fr}}</ref><ref>Encyclopédie du costume: des peuples de l'Antiquité à nos jours ainsi que, Nouvelles editions latines. Maurice Cottaz. (1990). Page 80. {{ISBN|2-7233-0421-3}}. Date:02-08-2016.</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=El Briga |first=C. |date=1992 |title=Burnous |url=https://journals.openedition.org/encyclopedieberbere/1883 |journal=Encyclopédie berbère |issue=11 |pages=1668–1669 |doi=10.4000/encyclopedieberbere.1883 |via=journals.openedition.org |doi-access=free}}</ref>

== Origin ==
The word burnous ({{Langx|ar|برنوس}}) is an Arabic word for a "long, loose hooded cloak worn by Arabs", which itself is derived from the [[Greek language|Greek]] word "birros".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Alhussami |first=Ahmed Abdullah |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hLzxDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA91 |title=Mutual Linguistic Borrowing between English and Arabic |date=2020-07-06 |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |isbn=978-1-5275-5569-3 |pages=91 |language=en}}</ref> The word is found in a [[hadith]] by [[Muhammad]] that prohibited the burnous and various other clothing during [[Hajj]]. In [[Mashriq|Mashriqi]] sources, it denotes a long hood or body garment.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Georges Marçais |first=جورج مارسي |url=http://archive.org/details/GeorgesMarcaisLeCostumeMusulmanDAlger |title=Georges Marçais Le Costume Musulman D' Alger |date=2016-08-10 |language=Arabic}}</ref> The burnous was also present in the early Muslim [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stillman |first=Norman |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YUB0EAAAQBAJ&pg=PA17 |title=Arab Dress, A Short History: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times |date=2022-06-08 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-49162-5 |pages=17 |language=en}}</ref> Various nineteenth century sources have referred to the burnous as an Arab cloak.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goodholme |first=Todd S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NrxEAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA56 |title=Goodholme's Domestic Cyclopaedia of Practical Information |date=1889 |publisher=C. Scribner's Sons |pages=56 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hossfeld |first=C. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BgYWAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA49 |title=New French Dictionary |date=1877 |publisher=C. Scholl |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Moser |first1=Gustav von |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lPQ5AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA146 |title=Köpnickerstrasse 120 |last2=Heiden |first2=E. |date=1897 |publisher=D. C. Heath & Company |pages=146 |language=de}}</ref>

In antiquity this garment was referred to as ''byruss Numidicus'' meaning "Numidian hooded cloak" and was mentioned as such in the ''[[Expositio totius mundi et gentium]]''.<ref>Wilson, Andrew. "Archaeological evidence for textile production and dyeing in Roman North Africa." Purpureae Vestes. Textiles y tintes del Mediterráneo en época romana (2004): 155-164.</ref> In the [[Maghreb]], the colour of the burnous may be white, beige, or dark brown. There are rock engravings near [[Sigus]] that attest the existence of the burnous in the ancient times and that it was worn by the [[Numidians]] and inhabitants of the [[Arabian Desert]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=B3LNzqo5i0IC&pg=PA435 Ancient Civilizations of Africa]. G. Mokhtar. UNESCO.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=TR5HS7YL2qAC&pg=PA70 Rome depuis sa fondation jusqu'a la chute de l'empire par Mary Lafon]. Mary-Lafon. Furne.</ref>

== Cultural significance ==
=== In Algeria ===
[[File:Femme et homme arabe, avec bournous..jpg|thumb|Arab man wearing a burnous and an Arab woman in indoor clothes, in the [[Regency of Algiers]].]]
[[File:الأمير عبد القادر.jpg|thumb|Algerian military leader [[Emir Abdelkader|Abd el-Kader]] wearing a burnous in 1853]]
[[File:Spahis, fantasia, 1886.jpg|thumb|upright|Algerian Spahis of the French army wearing the burnous as part of their uniform, 1886]]
During the French colonial period in Algeria (1830-1962), the burnous became a symbol of identity for Algerians. Many Algerians, including those who were not nomadic, began wearing the burnous as a way to assert their cultural heritage and resist French influence.

The burnous was also worn during the [[Algerian War]] of Independence (1954-1962), both as a symbol of resistance and as a practical garment for guerrilla fighters operating in the mountains and deserts.<ref>Barbet, Charles. ''Au pays des burnous: impressions et croquis d'Algérie''. Mallebay, 1898.</ref>

Today, the burnous remains an important symbol of Algerian culture and identity. It is often worn on special occasions, such as weddings and religious festivals, and is sometimes used as a costume in traditional dance performances.<ref>"The Burnous in Algerian Memory and History" by James McDougall, published in the Journal of North African Studies (Volume 13, Issue 1, 2008).</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Fisquet |first=Honoré |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vCJXAAAAcAAJ&q=+ruban&pg=PA1 |title=Histoire de l'Algérie depuis les temps anciens jusqu'à nos jours, etc |date=1842 |publisher=A la Direction |pages=89–92 |language=fr}}</ref>
It also forms part of the ceremonial uniform worn by the mounted cavalry detachment of the [[Algerian Republican Guard]].

== Burnous in other cultures ==
The burnous became a distinctive part of the uniform of the French [[Army of Africa (France)|Army of Africa]]'s [[spahi]] cavalry, recruited in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia.<ref>Montagon, Pierre. L'Armee d'Afrique. De 1830 a l'independence de l'Algerie. p. 94. ISBN 978-2-7564-0574-2.</ref> 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]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Paul|last=Galliac|page=20|title=L' Armee Francaise|year=2012 |isbn=978-2-35250-195-4}}</ref>

Other names for a burnous include ''albornoz'', ''sbernia'', ''sberna'', and ''bernusso''.

==See also==
*[[Birrus]]
*[[Bernos]]
*[[Kaftan]]
*[[Qashabiya]]
*[[Jellabiya|Jelaba]]
*[[Qamis]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commonscat-inline|Burnus}}

{{Sufism terminology}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Moroccan clothing]]
[[Category:Algerian clothing]]
[[Category:Tunisian clothing]]
[[Category:Men's clothing]]
[[Category:Robes and cloaks]]