Qashabiya

The qashabiya (القشابية) is a traditional Berber winter garment originating from Algeria. It features a hood and differs from the burnous by the presence of sleeves and a closure. Thicker and wider than the Djellaba (الجلابة), it is made of camel wool. It allows its wearer to brave the wind and precipitation of winter.

It also holds significant importance in the Algerian collective memory, as it, along with the burnous, represents the attire of the shuhada during the Algerian War of National Liberation. It also has the reputation of being Algeria's national attire.

Etymology
Arabic dictionaries list several definitions and etymologies for the term qashabiya, although they all agree in designating a garment but differ in its characteristics.

According to Georges Séraphin Colin, the arab term "qeššabiya" used in central and eastern Algeria is a deformation of the Latin gausapa, a term that would have been preserved in the form of gosaba in the Adrar, where it refers to a shirt.

Origin
The Qashabiya, a characteristic garment symbol of the High Plateaus of Algeria, is mainly crafted in the heart of Djelfa and its surroundings. It can also be found in the eastern regions of Morocco, the Aurès, Tunisia, and even as far as Tripolitania.

These regions form a cultural and ethnic continuum based on an Arab and Bedouin society whose primary activity remains pastoralism and camel breeding. The geographic space of the Qashabiya corresponds to that of the arid and dry plateaus of the Saharan Atlas where winters and nights are harsh. It is a region mainly inhabited by Arab tribes, the Sehari, Hamyan, Ouled Nail, Rahman, and 'Umur, renowned for their expertise in camel domestication and the exploitation of their wool.

To speak of the qashabiya is to raise the question of the place of the camel in North African culture. Indeed, camel wool, called al-Wabr (الوبر) in Arabic, occupies a central place in Algerian craftsmanship inherited from the country's Bedouin traditions.

The use of al-Wabr by Arabs to protect themselves from the cold is ancient and varied. It is found in most male attire of the Mashreq and rural Maghreb. Names of cities and places such as 'Ain Al-Ibl (Djelfa) or 'Ain Al-Nagah (Biskra) testify to the importance of the camel in the cultural landscape of the Algerian High Plateaus. This wool is harvested by nomads during shearing and is used for the manufacture of burnouses, tents, qashabiya, and other clothing. Sheep wool (as-Sawf) is sometimes added to this hair in the qashabiya manufacturing process.

Fabrication
The know-how and crafting of the qashabiya are mainly feminine. Even today, it is the Bedouin woman who is in charge of all stages of production. This ranges from scouring the wool (ashm) to weaving (sadwah).