Thechechia (Arabic: شاشية[ʃɛːʃiæ]ⓘ) is a traditionalheadgear worn in theMaghreb. Close relative to the Europeanberet, the chechia is originally a cap-shapedbonnet, coloredvermillon red. Until the 19th century, the chechia was often worn surrounded by aturban.
The chechia, which is flexible, should not be confused with thefez (known in the Maghreb aschéchia stambouli) which is rigid, conical and high in shape. The word chechia also designates the long soft cap, adopted by certainFrench colonial military forces, such as: thezouaves, thetirailleurs and thespahis.
The word chechia designates in theMaghreb the cap that is placed on the head and around which a piece of cloth has been rolled for a long time to form the turban. According to theMaghrebi traveler and exploreribn Battuta during his stay inShiraz in 1327, the word chechia itself takes its name however from the adjective derived from Shash, name of the currentTashkent inUzbekistan:
"The next day, an envoy from theKing of Irak, sultanAbou-Saïd Bahadour, arrived near the sheikh: it was Nâcir eddîn Addarkandy, one of the main emirs, originally fromKhorâçân. When he approached the sheikh, he took off his head his chachiiah, which the Persians call "cala".[1][2]
It is believed[by whom?] that the chechia originated inUzbekistan. Unlike the fez, the chechia is shorter and crafted from less stiff material, and is, therefore, softer and more pliable. By the 17th century that the chaouachis, or chechia makers, had spread to the capitalTunis, the capital ofTunisia. By the 21st century, the procedure for making them remains the same, but the number of craftsmen who make them has decreased. While the market place in theSouk Ech-Chaouachine, hosted about 30,000 chaouachis at its peak, that number had dropped by the 2010s to about 20, who struggle to keep the business alive. The modern chechia business is estimated to create jobs for over 2,000 artisans, with the remaining chechias are sold overseas, primarily to Libya, Nigeria, and Niger. Chechia colours vary by country. It is red inTunisia, and sometimes lacks a tassel. In Libya, the chechia is normally black, except the Benghazi version, or "chenna," which is also red and includes a tassel. In Morocco, and some parts of Tunisia, it can also be seen in white or grey.[3]
The archives of the Spanish consulate to theBeylik of Tunis at the end of the 18th century show that Spain was interested in the manufacture of chechias, the secret of which it lost when theMoriscos were expelled at the beginning of the 17th century and that the Spanish government would like to recover to relaunch its production in Spain in state factories.[4]
In Tunisia, anyone wishing to engage in this particular craft must first pass a thorough examination before a designated committee of craftsmen. Made by skilled "chaouachis", the chechia soon occupied theentire souks, built in 1691 in theMedina of Tunis,[5] so great was its success, which gave work to thousands of people.
From the 1920s, Tunisian separatists increasingly wore the chechia testouriya (originally from the city ofTestour) because its name was close to that of their party theDestour.[citation needed]
After Tunisia's independence in 1956, with the arrival of manufactures and customs from Europe, the wearing of the chechia tended to be limited to holidays and religious festivals; it is often associated with elderly people.[6] Manufacturers' incomes were affected and many were forced to give up this craft. Moreover, people living in the countryside tend to abandon this traditional headgear in favor of its less expensive and industrially manufactured equivalents. The absence of a coherent government program contributes to this decline in the eyes of traditionalists.[6]
Moreover, many specialists attribute the decline of this craft to the manufacturers themselves, who lacked creativity and innovation. However, at the end of the 1990s, in an effort to revitalize this industry, many artisans began to manufacture new varieties of chechias in different colors, shapes and decorations, in order to attract a younger clientele. However, very quickly, this momentum wanes as exports of the Tunisian chechia to African countries also run out of steam.[6]
However, official figures given in 2007 by the Tunisian Bureau of Traditional Industries indicate that 80% of chechias are exported to[6]Algeria,Libya andNigeria, but also throughout theNear East and as far as Asia.
The traditional chechia is made of combed wool, knitted by women. The caps are then sent to thefulling. They are wetted with hot water and soap and trodden under foot by men in order to soak them, so that the stitches of the knitting almost disappear. Then comes the treatment of thethistle, which is used for carding or combing the hat, in order to transform thefelt into downyvelvet. However, more and more often, the thistle is replaced by a wire brush. It is at this stage of manufacture that the chechia is tinted with its famous vermilion red color.
Division of labor and geographical distribution allow its artisanal production on a large scale while maintaining the quality that makes the reputation of the chechia ofTunis. A dozen people, including a third of women, participate in its manufacture in several points of the country chosen according to theirhuman resources or material resources:[7]
Water quality plays an important role, hence the different choices for fulling and dyeing.
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