By Dorothy Hurley


People can be seen wearing turbans in countries all over the world. Various different styles are worn according different cultures and religions. They include Sikh dastars, the Arab turban, Indian turbans, Afghan turbans and many others. People have been wearing turbans for thousands of years and they also have practical uses. In Arabic countries Muslim men wear turbans to emulate the prophet Mohammed, as he is said to have worn white, green and black colored turbans throughout his life.

In the Islamic Shia religion males who are descendents of the prophet Mohammed will wear a black turban wrapped around a topi, which is a small white cap. Scholars and well educated males wear white turbans, Some men wear green turbans too, along with the topi.

Woman do not wear turbans in Arabic countries as they are considered male dress. In many Arabic countries men wear a plain or checkered scarf on their head. Although these are not considered turbans they have a lot of religious symbolism from the Arabic Annah of Oman and Sudan.

Turbans are formed by winding a large length of cloth around the wearers head. Their size, color and shape depends upon the culture, region and religion of the wearer. They can be seen all over central and south Asia, The middle East and North and East Africa to name a few. Turbans are usually wound anew each time they are worn. In Kenya they have a distinct way of winding them so that they have a pointed top.

The Sikh turban is probably the most recognizable style, these are quite large and look very formal and stylish. It is necessary for Sikhs to wear their turbans at all times during waking hours. Afghanistan has more people wearing turbans than anywhere else in the world. These are very large and are formed from a lot of material. They are also used as blankets, shawls and for tying up animals.

In Kurdistan Kurdish males where a turban that is called a Jamadani. There are a number of ways to wear them according to the area of Kurdistan. The Barzani Kurds wear either white or red turbans depending in their tribe. Kurdish turbans are formed from a length of striped cloth that is wound around a conical hat. The hat has tassels that hang over the face, making them look very striking.

Indian men wear turbans known as pagris. These turbans symbolize honor and respect and so they are given to honorable guests to wear at special occasions. They are usually white, pink or saffron colored. White pagris represent peace, pink represents valor and the saffron pagri represents rebirth and renewal.

Some of the followers of the Rastafarian religion also wear turbans. They differ from the Sikh and Arab turban. These are used to protect their dreadlocks from dirty and damage. Ethiopian orthodox Christians wear turbans too and many Christians in Europe wore them up until the 17th century. Alexander Pope has been depicted wearing one in many of the paintings of him.




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