Khit er rouh
Khit er rouh, also known as Zerouf, is a type of Algerian diadem or headband made up of nineteen carved chatons linked together by rings, forming rosettes or rosaces and zerraref pendeloques made of gold set with diamonds or other precious stones. It is worn across the forehead with traditional outfits like the Karakou, where it is worn with a pair of earrings encrusted with tiny gemstones and several strands of baroque pearls. This Algerian accessory was inscribed in 2012 in the UNESCO, as an Intangible Heritage Of Humanity, along with The Algerian Kaftan and Chedda Of Tlemcen.
Khit er rouh

Frederick Arthur Bridgman · Public domain
- Name
- Khit errouh
- Field
- jewelry
- Region
- Algeria
Reference Check
Propose documentary evidence for Khit er rouh. A contribution is never written directly as fact: identity, source, rights and evidence gates still decide.
Sign in to contribute
World of VALÉORINE
Documentary connections
Only confirmed graph relationships appear here. Images are shown only when their identity and reuse rights both pass the documentary gate.
Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
wikidata · Q116303419
In this article
Overview
Overview
It is also worn with the Chedda of Tlemcen, accompanied by other ornaments such as the djébin, and can be worn around the neck. The diadem is the favorite jewel of Algerian women, and it still accompanies the bridal outfit today. It is adorned with precious stones by wealthy city dwellers but does not serve to designate their social status. Women in Tlemcen wear three or four superimposed diadems. Some models were made up of an assembly of diamonds forming rosettes of rubies and emeralds set in silver or gold opercula. It is a millennia-old jewel that is part of the trousseau of the Algerian bride-to-be and can also be demanded as a dowry. It is passed down from mother to daughter, so some families in Algiers possess very ancient and therefore very expensive "khit er rouh".

Carte postale Collection Spéciale P.A (poste aux armées?) expédiée en 1916 d'une série sur le département d'Alger. N°131A Mauresque d'Alger.
Self-scanned

A woman from Algiers (Algeria), wearing the "Karakou", c. 1890s
unkhown
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Khit errouh • Alternate Name — Khit errouh, Khit er rouh, Zerouf • Country — * Algeria • Illustration — Khit errouh with three tears.
History
History
Originally from the city of Algiers, the Khiterrouh was worn under another gold diadem called Açaba (in Arabic: عصّابة "ʿAṣṣāba"), formed of hinged plates, in the shape of an inverted escutcheon, adorned with quivering pins. During the 20th century, it became the only head jewel of the capital in Algiers. It was very successful in other Algerian cities and in some mountain villages, such as Aurès. Khit errouh has also recently been imported from Algeria to Morocco where it also became very popular. Numerous examples are preserved in Algeria, particularly at the National Museum of Antiquities and Islamic Arts and at the National Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Algeria
Country
Khit er rouh is associated with Algeria.
Country
Text attribution
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Khit errouh, revision 1304722675 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Belkaïd, Leyla. Algéroises : histoire d'un costume méditerranéen. Edisud. 1998. 2-85744-918-6.
- 2.UNESCO - Rites and craftsmanship associated with the wedding costume tradition of Tlemcen. ich.unesco.org.
- 3.Musée national du Bardo, Tlemcen, capitale de la culture islamique 2011, 2011, 224 p. p. 114
- 4.Belkaïd, Leyla. Costumes d'Algérie. Layeur. 2003. 2-911468-97-X.
- 5.El Khit Errouh ou El Zerouf, un bijou qui rehausse la beauté de la femme algérienne. vitaminedz.com.
- 6.Eudel, Paul. Dictionnaire des bijoux de l'Afrique du Nord; Maroc, Algérie, Tunisie, Tripolitaine. Editions de La Croisée des chemins. 242. 1906. 978-9954-1-0466-8.
- 7.Besancenot, Jean. Costumes du Maroc. Eddif. 164. 2008. 978-9954-1-0256-5.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witness
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 14 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Jewellery
29 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- granulationTerminology
- hackleTerminology
- hair jewelleryTerminology
- imitation pearlTerminology
- live insect jewelryTerminology
- Majorica pearlTerminology
- mourning jewelleryTerminology
- mourning ringTerminology
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own an object connected with Khit er rouh?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.