Turban

A Long Scarf Wound Round the Head

A turban is a headdress consisting of a long scarf wound round the head or an inner hat. Its construction is the key to everything else about it: because a turban is wound rather than made as a fixed hat, its final form is created in the wearing, turn by turn, and can be adjusted in size, tightness and finish by the hands that wind it. The shape, size and colour of turbans vary, with the cloth's length being up to 45 metres, an extraordinary amount of fabric that shows how substantial these windings can be. The turban is of obscure Oriental origin. Early Persians wore a conical cap sometimes encircled by bands of cloth, which may be considered one of the origins of the modern turban, a form in which the winding of cloth around a cap is already visible. The turban did not become common among the Turks, but was common among the Ottoman sultans.

Because the form is made by winding, small differences in method produce recognisably different results, and those differences carry information. In some areas, especially in Rajasthan, the turban's size may indicate the position of the person in society. There are many variations of the traditional headdress depending on the region and religion; in fact, it is said that in Rajasthan the style of the turban changes with every 15 km travelled. Royalty in different parts of India have distinctly different styles of turbans, as do the peasants, who often just wear a towel wound round the head. A turban should therefore be read as local dress, made by a method shared across a wide world but finished in the manner of one particular place and community.

Regional and Religious Variations

The major variations are named and distinct. The Rajput turbans are different from Sikh turbans, which are in turn different from the classical Arab turbans, and treating turban as a single uniform style erases exactly the distinctions its wearers maintain. In Hindi, an Indian language, a turban is called a pagdi. The Sikh pagdi is also called dastar, which is a more respectful word in Punjabi for the turban, and using that word acknowledges the standing the headdress holds for its wearers. In Arab culture the turban, or imamah, has an important place. 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 also very useful, fending off the desert sand and protecting the face from high temperatures and strong sunlight, so pride and practicality supported the same garment.

The picture varies by country and by role today. In modern Persian Gulf countries the turban has been replaced by the white or red-and-white checkered scarf, called ghutrah or shumagh, though the turban tradition is still strong in Oman. In Sudan a large white turban is worn and can indicate social status. Islamic clergymen can be seen wearing turbans, in particular Shia Muslim scholars, worn by Persian and Arab scholars alike, and the black colour in that setting indicates descent from the Prophet Muhammad. Each of these cases follows the pattern set out at the start: one construction, a long cloth wound round the head or an inner hat, and a wide range of shapes, sizes, colours and meanings decided by region, religion and custom.