Understanding Turbans
Articles by Eli Sanders Seattle Times staff reporter
Illustrations by Paul Schmid/ The Seattle Times
reprinted from an article published Thursday September 27, 2001 in the
Seattle Times
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SIKH Men
Sikh men commonly wear a peaked turban that serves partly to cover their
long hair, which is never cut out of respect for God's creation. Devout
Sikhs also do not cut their beards; so many Sikh men comb out their facial
hair and then twist and tuck it up into their turbans along with the hair
from their heads. Sikhism originated in northern India and Pakistan in the
15th century and is one of the youngest of the world's monotheistic
religions. There are an estimated 18 million Sikhs in the world, with some 2
million spread throughout North America, Western Europe and the former
British colonies. |
Muslim Religious Elders
Muslim religious elders like this man from Yemen, often wear a turban
wrapped around a cap know in Arabic as a kalansuwa. These caps can be
spherical or conical, colorful or solid white, and their styles vary widely
from region to region. Likewise, the color of the turban wrapped around the
kalansuwa varies. White is thought by some Muslims to be the holiest turban
color, based on legends that the prophet Mohammed wore a white turban.
Green, held to be the color of paradise, is also favored by some. Not all
Muslims wear turbans. In fact, few wear them in the West. And in major
cosmopolitan centers around the Muslim world, turbans are seen by some as
passé.
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Iranian Leaders
Iranian leaders wear black or white turbans wrapped in the flat, circular
style shown in this image of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The word turban is thought to have originated among Persians living in the
area now known as Iran, who called the headgear a dulband.
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Afghan men
Afghan men wear a variety of turbans, and even within the Taliban, the
strict Islamic government that controls much of the country, there are
differences in the way men cover their heads. This Taliban member for
example, is wearing a very long turban - perhaps two twined together - with
one end hanging loose over his shoulder. The Taliban ambassador to
Afghanistan, on the other hand, favors a solid black turban tied above his
forehead. And some men in Afghanistan do not wear turbans at all, but rather
a distinctive Afghan hat.
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Indian men
Indian men sometimes wear turbans to signify their class, caste, profession
or religious affiliation - and, as this man shows, turbans in India can be
very elaborate. However, turbans made out of fancy woven cloths and
festooned with jewels are not unique to India. As far away as Turkey, men
have used the headgear to demonstrate their wealth and power.
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The Kaffiyeh
The kaffiyeh is not technically a turban. It is really a rectangular piece
of cloth, folded diagonally and then draped over the head - not wound like a
turban. Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, has made the kaffiyeh famous
in recent times. However, the kaffiyeh is not solely Palestinian. Men in
Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab Persian Gulf states wear kaffiyehs in
colors and styles that are particular to their region. Jordanians, for
example, wear a red and white kaffiyeh, while Palestinians wear a black and
white one. And a man from Saudi Arabia would likely drape his kaffiyeh
differently than a man fro Jordan. The black cord that holds the kaffiyeh on
one's head is called an ekal.
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Desert Peoples
Desert People have long used the turban to keep sand out of their faces, as
this man from Africa is likely doing. Members of nomadic tribes have also
used turbans to disguise themselves. And sometimes, the color of a person's
turban can be used to identify his tribal affiliation from a distance across
the dunes. This man's turban is a very light blue. In some parts of North
Africa, blue is thought to be a good color to wear in the desert because of
its association with cool water.
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