Turban
The turban is a
headdress, of
Asian origin, consisting of a long
scarf wound round the
head or an inner
hat. The turban comes in many shapes and sizes and color of turbans vary, with the cloth's length rarely exceeding 5 meters.
Early
Persians wore a conical cap sometimes encircled by bands of cloth, which may be considered one of the origins of the modern turban. The turban did not become common among the
Turks, but was common among
Ottoman sultans.
Encyclopedia
The
turban is a
headdress, of
Asian origin, consisting of a long
scarf wound round the
head or an inner
hat. The turban comes in many shapes and sizes and color of turbans vary, with the cloth's length rarely exceeding 5 meters.
Early
Persians wore a conical cap sometimes encircled by bands of cloth, which may be considered one of the origins of the modern turban. The turban did not become common among the
Turks, but was common among
Ottoman sultans.
Sikhism
The turban is closely associated with
Sikhism. While not explicitly required for baptized men and women , they are forbidden to cut their hair and the subsequent use of the turban to manage their long hair has become associated with baptized Sikhs. Unbaptized Sikhs are not required to leave their hair unshorn. The vast majority of people who wear turbans in Western countries are Sikhs. The Sikh
pag?i is also called
dastar , which is a more respectful word in
Punjabi for 'turban'.
Indian state of Rajasthan
The
Rajput people from the
Indian state of
Rajasthan also wear distinct turbans. In
Hindi, a turban is called a
pag?i . There are many variations of the turbans in Rajasthan, and it is said that the style of the turban changes with every 15 km you travel. In some areas, especially in
Rajasthan the turban's size may indicate the position of the person in society. 'Royalty' in different parts of India have distinctly different styles of turbans, as do the 'peasants', who often just wear a towel wound around the head.
Indian city of Mysore and Kodagu District
The people of
Mysore and
Kodagu wear turbans called
Mysore peta. Distinguished people are honoured by the award of a Mysore peta in a formal ceremony. In Kodagu district people wear it with traditional dress on special occasions such as marriages.
Islamic culture
In
Islamic culture, the turban is an important spiritual element of the cultural faith. Ancient Arabs wore them and took pride in them; to be deprived of one's turban was humiliating, and knocking a man's turban off was considered an insult. In daily life, the turban was very useful for fending off the desert sand and protecting the face from high temperatures and strong sunlight. In modern
Persian Gulf countries, the turban has been replaced by the white or red-and-white checkered scarf , though the turban tradition is still strong in
Oman . In
Sudan, a large white turban is worn and can indicate social status. Islamic leaders can be seen wearing turbans, in particular Shia Muslim scholars who have become famous for them . These are worn by Persian and Arab scholars alike; the black colour indicates a
sayyid, a descendant of the Prophet
Muhammad.
Jews in Arabic countries often wore turbans as well, due to assimilation. The traditional color is black.
Stigma against turbans
The wearing of turbans has sparked some harassment or hate crimes in the
United States as a consequence of the September 11, 2001 attacks, since some people assumed that people that wore turbans were Muslim. In fact, Sikhs make up the overwhelming majority of turban-wearers in the
Western world.
Notes
External links
- - Short video challenging perceptions and stereotypes to who the Sikhs are.
- Promoting the positive image of the turban
