Savari

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Savari was the designation given to the regular Libyan cavalry regiments of the Italian colonial army in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica. The word "savari" was derived from an Arab-Turkish term for "horsemen".

First raised in December 1912, these units were recruited from the Arab-Berber population of the two territories following the Italian occupation in 1911-12. The officers of the eight squadrons comprising this corps were nearly all Italian. Each squadron was distinguished by a distinctively coloured sash and farmula (sleeveless jacket) worn with white or khaki uniforms according to occasion.

The Savari formed part of the Regio Corpo Truppe Coloniali della Libia (Royal Corps of Libyan Colonial Troops), which included desert and camel troops, infantry battalions, artillery and irregular cavalry ("Spahis"). On the eve of Italy's entry into World War II these units comprised approximately 28,000 locally recruited personnel. They suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Nibeiwa (December 1940) and the Royal Corps of Libyan Colonial Troops was formally disbanded in January 1943 following the Italian withdrawal into Tunisia.