Chokha

What it is

A chokha is a coat of wool with a tall collar and an open front. The collar is cut open, and the skirt below the waist is usually pleated or gathered. Most are made of broadcloth or shawl, though lighter cloth appears on festive versions. Beneath it a man wore an arkhalig, and the coat could be worn without its bullet pockets. Where the name comes from is debated: the Dehkhoda dictionary calls chokha a Turkic word, while others trace it to Iranian roots and the sense of an outfit made of textile. Russians used the name cherkeska, from its link with the Circassians. Circassian speakers themselves say shwakh-tsia, meaning it covers the horseman, or tsey, from fabric.

Types and regions

The two most common forms in the Caucasus are the general chokha and the weighted one. The general coat was made for fighting: short, wide sleeves that kept the arms free, and later cases for cartridges. The weighted type carries small cartridge holders on both sides of the chest, about eight to a side, made of wood with silver or gold hoods, and these became largely decorative. Georgian men used three main kinds: the Kartli-Kakheti, the Khevsur and the Adjarian. Elsewhere, a Persianate chukha with folding sleeves was worn in the south Caucasus, and it served as uniform in the Caucasian khanates and the Imperial convoy.

Rank and meaning

Colour and trim carried information. According to the scholar Evgenia Nikolaevna Studenetskaya, writing in 1989, Circassian and Abkhazian societies used white for princes, red for nobles, and grey, brown or black for peasants. The number of gazyr cases told a similar story: a warrior's standing could be read from how many he wore, from four or five up to eighteen on each side. In Georgia, black cloth was reserved for members of the Orden of Chokhosani, an elite that included generals, war heroes and poets honoured for service. For many people of the region, the coat also stands for the struggle for freedom.

Weapons and kit

The coat was rarely worn alone. A beshmet, a lighter undergarment, sat beneath it, and long tight trousers, common among steppe peoples and useful on horseback, went below. A leather belt with silver fittings held the waist; the buckle was shaped so it could be used to strike a fire. A dagger, the khinjal or kama, hung at the side, and Circassian men often carried the shashka, a single-edged sabre without a guard. On the head went a bashlyk, a hood worn apart from the coat, or a papakha, a tall fur hat. Ossetian gazyrs held cartridges in leather cases of seven to ten compartments.

Today and change

From the 8th century until the Soviet period the chokha was everyday wear for many men of the Caucasus. It fell out of daily use in the early 20th century and is now kept for ceremonies, festivals, weddings and official events. In Georgia it is treated as a mark of national pride; the former president Mikheil Saakashvili asked senior officials posted abroad to appear in national costume, chokha included, at formal meetings. On 9 June 2020 Georgia's heritage authorities added the wearing of the chokha to the national list of intangible cultural heritage, recognising the practice rather than the garment alone.

How Chokha is kept

A man puts on the beshmet first, then the chokha over it, the open collar standing at the neck. A belt is buckled or tied at the waist, and the dagger is hung at the side. Gazyrs are set into their rows on the chest, and a bashlyk or papakha goes on the head. The full set was once worn for riding and fighting; now it is brought out for weddings, festivals, dances and official functions, where dancers, grooms and officials are the people most often seen in it.

When and where

The chokha is not tied to one date. It was everyday dress from the 8th century, and since the early 20th century it has been worn for ceremonial and festive occasions: weddings, festivals, dances and official functions. Georgia's heritage listing of the wearing tradition was made on 9 June 2020.

The coat belongs to the Caucasus. It is worn in Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia's north Caucasus, and forms reached Iran and Turkey. Cossacks of the Terek and Kuban regions adopted it too. Georgian forms are strongest in Kartli and Kakheti in the east, Khevsureti in the mountains, and Adjara and Guria in the west, with Adjarian dress also remembered in Lazeti, now in Turkey.

What Chokha means

For many people of the Caucasus the chokha stands for freedom and for a nation's pride. In Georgia it is a public sign of belonging, worn when a man wants to be seen as Georgian at a wedding or an official gathering. Colour and count told neighbours who a man was: his class, his rank, his province, the number of cartridges he had earned the right to carry. The coat also records a soldier's life, made to leave the arms free for riding and fighting, and trimmed with the weapons that went with it.

Questions people ask about Chokha

See also

GáktiA traditional coat worn by the Sámi people across northern Scandinavia and Russia, signaling origin and status through cRushnykA sacred embroidered cloth used in East Slavic rituals, weddings and daily life.Traditional tattooingThe ancient custom of marking the skin for protection, healing, status and sacred ritesKalpakA tall cap of Turkic peoples, thick for winter and wide and light for summer

Good reading and sources

• Close-Up: Georgia's cool costumeBBC, Article
• Close-Up: Georgia's cool costumeBBC, Article

• Chokha on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.