Wars in Eastern Sudan
Part 2: Baker & El Teb

Uniforms

by Doug Johnson
Maps and Illustrations by Greg Rose

The Egyptian gendarterie and cavalry were all dressed in the regular white Egyptian uniform of the early 1880's: White jacket, trousers and leggings, red fez with black tassel, black belts and shoes, brass buttons and buckles. The fezes were often covered by a variety of styles of cloth. Sometimes a cloth like a burnoose was wrapped over the fez, falling down onto the neck and shoulders; sometimes a neck-cloth was tucked under the fez, and sometimes a strip of rolled cloth was wrapped around the base of the fez as an isea (turban).

The gendirserie did have a dark blue dress uniform (Sartorius: 174), and many officers are shown in the standard Egyptian dirk blue frock coat and trousers. Others seem to have worn blue tunics with black frogging on the front and gold Austrian knots on the sleeves. A few officers sees also to have worn a gray or khaki tunic with gold braid.

The cavalry wore waistbelts and cartridge belts over the shoulder, with the cartridge box resting over the right hip. They also sometimes carried a leather pouch like a haversack. They slung their carbines across their backs and hung their sabres on the left side of their saddles.

Some of the "Turkish' gendarmerie arrived in Suakin wearing their Albanian costumes of sheepskin coat, collarless Greek shirt, embroidered waistcoats, leggings and shoes (Sartorius: 139) (See S&S XVII/4 on the bashi- bazuks). One observer described the Turkish infantry and cavalry as wearing blue, red and yellow (ILN 9 February 1884: 130), and Melton Prior sketched one Turkish soldier in dark trousers, shirt and vest, with the front and edges of the vest outlined in a lighter color (ILN 9 February 1884: 132).

The commander of the Turks was dressed in an embroidered zouavestyle waistcoat and jacket, loose dark cloth trousers, embroidered leggings, Turkish shoes, a red silk sash twisted in several folds around his middle, a scimitar tucked into the right side and two silver mounted flintlock pistols tucked in front. Over his sash was a belt with three or four silver filigree boxes for powder, shot, etc. (Sartorius: 186). vThe "Turks" were, of course, ethnic Turks, descendents of Muhammad Ali's original troops. There were no regular Turkish soldiers from the Turkish army included in any of the Sudan campaigns of the 1880's. It is likely that all mounted bashi-bazuks dressed in the traditional bashi-bazuk style. The Turks in the gendarmerie were probably issued with white uniforms before the 2nd Battle of El Teb, but it is by no means clear what the "Turkish battalion" wore.

The final troops to be covered were the "old soldiers of the garrison", a small group of about 300 night-watchmen and guards of the gate. They dresses as civilians, in white jallabiyyas and trousers. One officer was seen in ragged trousers, a plain overcoat and a fez (Sartorius: 104, 139).

Beja costumes have been described in Part 1.

Wars in Eastern Sudan Part 2: Baker & El Teb

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© Copyright 1987 by Milton Soong.
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