Even in ancient times, a headdress was a symbol of power, only noble persons could afford luxurious hats, caps, wigs. The larger the hat, the higher the rank of its holder. Nowadays, hats are often associated with certain nationalities. Turban, fez, keffiyeh, skullcap, afghan, ayshok, kokoshnik, bandana, shlychik and much more. Many types of hats are already outdated, and they are not used in everyday life, but many Muslims to this day prefer to wear this thing.
Turkish headdress
The red cap, made mainly of wool in the form of a cone, decorated with a silk tassel, is called a fez. This headdress got its name in the eastern countries, namely in the city of Fez, where they first began to make it. Mostly it was worn by soldiers and officials of the Ottoman Empire, but the fez was not a practical headdress for the army. The bright red color attracted attention, making it easy for the enemy to detect the target. Due to the lack of a visor, the oncoming sun blinded the soldiers. In the modern world, these hats have remained part of the full dress of the Greek national guard. Turks to this day pay tribute to history and wear this national headdress. Tourists of all countries are also not indifferent to Turkish fes and in resorts in Turkey walk in such a hat.
The origin of fez
The city of Fes was famous for its schools, libraries, universities, was very culturally developed. A special berry was growing in one of the regions of this city. The juice of this berry could be used to dye the fez and achieve a special red color, so the city of Fes had no competitors in the manufacture of these hats. There were no analogues of this paint, and all Muslims bought this kind of headdress in this city. However, when they learned to make artificial paints, many other countries began to make this hat. Austria became the center for the manufacture of this headgear with a tassel.
Fez Description
In shape, this headpiece resembles a cropped cone, at the top of which a black brush is inserted. Over time, colored fez were also used, hand-painted with silver and gold. Women wore red velvet fez headdresses, decorated them with gold chains, silver coins, hand embroidery. This headpiece could be white, red and even black, but it was the red cap with black silk thread that was adopted as the basis.
A bit of history
Mahmoud the Second had a negative attitude to facial hair, so he forbade men to wear long beards and at the same time introduced changes for army uniforms. Previously, such an act did not please the soldiers, and caused a rebellion of the Janissaries and a change of leader. But this time, a new form was not avoided. Accustomed to the wide pants and shirt, the Turks were surprised by the new tight-fitting uniform. Many found her even indecent. The change in the usual headdress was also not pleasing, caps with a semi-cylindrical top were introduced, they were very uncomfortable, and soon replaced with a red felt bezel. The new headdress was also not the most convenient option for the military.
Interesting Facts
Sultan Mahmud did not stop at changing the military uniform; he wanted to completely change life in the Ottoman Empire as soon as possible. He wanted to adjust his state to a European way. To this end, he changed the order of receiving guests: if earlier the sultan was on the throne and watched what was happening, then Mahmud personally greeted the guests, entertained them, and talked. In the presence of the Sultan, everyone should have stood, but Mahmud removed this tradition as well. The cabinets began to resemble a modern interior - tables, low sofas and straight chairs. Continuing to develop the city, the Sultan built a military school, which taught new materials for the army. Teachers and students were distinguished by their form, the main element of which was a high red fez with a black silk tassel.
Application of this headgear
The inhabitants of the Ottoman Empire were obliged to wear it, because in the 19th century it became part of the national costume. The female fez is shorter than the male one and does not have a brush. To become part of the military uniform, this head unit was tested, and only after approval it was allowed to wear. Once there was a proposal to sew leather borders to the fez so that the sun would not blind the eyes of the soldiers. At first glance, a very useful innovation, but in such a design it will be inconvenient to pray in it. The sides will interfere with getting the forehead to the ground, and for a true Muslim, this is important. It was believed that wearing a headdress during prayer was not necessary, but there was no definite answer from religious scholars, so this proposal was rejected.
Revolt against fez
In 1908, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia, the Turks organized a boycott of all goods imported from Austria, this number included fez headwear. As an alternative, the Turks wore white fez with a turban produced in Asia Minor, Persian hats and other hats also became fashionable. Soldiers wore colored fez without turbans. This red hat remained at the local nobility of the Mystical Shrine, they decorated it with gold embroidery, sewed the name of the temple. This protest brought huge losses for Austrian merchants. When the pilgrimages to Mecca broke out during the era of the Crusades, the pilgrims began to go to Fez, they called it the Holy City. University students wore bright fez, pilgrims also joined this model of headgear. After some time, the northern part of Africa again wore this headdress.
Mustafa Kemal
Politician Mustafa Kemal appeared in a more modern history of Turkey, he also became the first founder of the modern Turkish state. He achieved the abolition of the rule of the Sultans, abolished the occupation regime, created a completely new Turkish state, unlike anything else. He actively developed science, Turkish writing, created new rights and codes, thereby ensuring that Turkey was recognized as an official republic. All power was now in his hands. He abolished many of the traditions that came from ancient times, he was also a non-religious person. His dictatorship caused discontent among the population, especially among believers.
Soon, a major uprising broke out, the people of Turkey were sure that England was behind the uprising because of Kemal’s anti-religious attitude. He took this opportunity to announce that England was a threat to the Turkish people, and a decree was issued: the manifestation of religion in any form is considered treason. Soon, the dictator, having achieved his goal, began to further implement the plan.
His next step was the ban on wearing fez, which was a symbol of Islam. First, he removed this headdress from the army uniform, then he defiantly appeared in various hats and caps, then he completely declared wearing a fez crime. It would seem that the ban on a hat is a stupid statement, but Mustafa Kemal did not think so and was sure that with this step he would completely eliminate the old traditions associated with Islam. This caused a storm of discontent, but the next step of the dictator simply shocked all representatives of religion. He dissolved the monasteries and confiscated their property.
Thus, in Turkey, the era of headgear fesok ended right up to the modern world.