A burka ( ', ', ', ', , ', ka, ნაბადი ', ', Kabardian: ', ' ', ') is an

overcoat An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most often used in winter when warmth is more important. They are sometimes confused with or referred to as #T ...

made from

felt Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic fiber, acrylic or acrylonitrile or ...

or ''karakul'' (the short curly fur of young lambs of the breed of that name). ''Karakul'' being quite expensive, ''burkas'' were usually sewn from felt treated to look like ''karakul''. ''Burkas'' are sewn with high, squared off shoulders, and wearers will have a distinctive high-shouldered silhouette. Chechnya was the main producer of burkas throughout the North Caucasus. ''Burkas'' were part of the customary male garb of various peoples inhabiting the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

region. ''Burkas'' were adopted by Russian cavalry, and worn as part of the Russian military uniform from the middle of the 18th century until the 1850s, during the

Caucasus War The Caucasian War () or the Caucasus War was a 19th-century military conflict between the Russian Empire and various peoples of the North Caucasus who resisted subjugation during the Russian conquest of the Caucasus. It consisted of a series o ...

Vasily Chapayev Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev (; 5 September 1919) was a Russian soldier and Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War. Biography Chapayev was born into a poor peasant family in a village called , now part of Cheboksary. During World War I ...

was portrayed wearing a ''burka'' as a part of his

military uniform A military uniform is a standardised clothing, dress worn by members of the armed forces and Paramilitary, paramilitaries of various nations. Military dress and styles have gone through significant changes over the centuries, from colourful ...

in a 1934 Soviet

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

. Other items of traditional Caucasian dressBaddeley, John F. "The Rugged Flanks of the Caucasus", 1940, pp125-129 were the '' beshmet'', a soft inner shirt with a close-fitting collar, and the '' cherkeska'', a collarless outer shirt with a V-shaped opening in the front with long, wide sleeves. Across the cherkeska were the ''gazerei'', a row of semi-ornamental cartridge-cases, sometimes with decorated tops. On the belt was the '' kinzhal'', a long dagger worn diagonally in front. Below were narrow trousers tied below the knee and at the ankle, leggings, and leather boots. Over all this was the large wool burka, fastened at the neck and open at the front. It could be reversed to make a windbreak or used as a blanket. On the head was the ''

bashlyk A bashlyk, also spelled bashlik, is a traditional Turkic, Caucasian, Iranian, and Cossack cone-shaped hooded headdress, usually of leather, felt or wool, featuring a round topped bonnet with lappets for wrapping around the neck. Local versio ...

'', a soft cap, or the ''

papakha The papakha (; , ; ; , ; , ; ; ) is a sheepskin hat worn by men throughout the Caucasus and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of Turkic languages, Turkic origin (''papakh)''. The word ''papak'' is al ...

'', a large wool hat.

References

{{reflist Uniforms Russian folk clothing Coats (clothing) History of clothing (Western fashion)

See also

References