It was initially intended, in 1830, that the zouaves would be a regiment of Berber volunteers from the Zwawa group of tribes in Algeria—thus the French term ""—who had gained a martial reputation fighting for local rulers under the Ottoman Empire. The regiment was to consist of sixteen hundred Zwawa Berbers, French non-commissioned officers and French officers. Five hundred Zwawa were recruited in August and September. Twelve years later, zouaves began to be recruited almost exclusively from Europeans, a policy which continued until the final dissolution of these regiments after the Algerian War.