By Kate McMahon


Sikhs often wear turbans for men that are peaked to cover long hair, which is never trimmed as a way of showing respect for Gods creation. Devout ones also do not trim their beards, as they comb it, twist and tuck it inside their headgears together with their lengthy head hair.

Turbans are often worn by Muslim religion leaders, wrapped around caps called Kalansuwa in Arabic language. Such caps can vary widely in style depending on the region, usually spherical or conical, and also pure white or multicolored. Whats more, the color of these turbans draped around the Kalansuwa also varies. White is seen by a section of Muslims as the most holy turban color, due to the fact that Prophet Muhammad wore a white such headpiece.

Other Muslims also favor green since they consider it the color of paradise. Not all Muslims however wear a turban. In fact, in some western nations they are perceived as old fashioned and are rarely worn by those living in major cosmopolitan areas in the Muslim world.

Afghan men wear various turbans, with differences seen in the manner in which they cover heads with them. A good example is the Taliban, the strict Islamic government that runs most of the nation. Their members usually wear a very long turban, sometimes two of them intertwined together and one end hanging loosely over a shoulder. Taliban ambassadors to Afghanistan on the other hand prefer a solid black turban wrapped over their foreheads.

A section of Afghans do not wear a turban at all, preferring instead quite a trademark afghan hat. Iranian leaders wear a turban of either white or black color draped in a style that is flat and circular. History has it that the term turban has its roots from the Persians who resided in the region that is now Iran, who referred to it as a dulband.

Indian men in some cases wear a turban to signify their caste, class, religious affiliation or profession. In India, this headgear can be quite elaborate. However, those made using fancy woven cloths and decorated with jewels are not restricted to India only. Men have utilized the headgear as far away as Turkey to demonstrate their power and wealth.

A kaffiyeh is technically not a turban. It is actually a rectangle shaped piece of cloth diagonally folded and then worn across the head, contrary to the manner in which turbans are worn. In modern times, the kaffiyeh was made popular by the late Palestinian statesman called Yasser Arafat. All in all, this headpiece is not just for Palestinians only. Citizens of states of the Persian Gulf, Saudi Arabia and Jordan also wear black and white kaffiyehs, with Palestinians preferring ones with multiple colors.

Residents of deserts have for a long time worn turbans for men so as to prevent their faces from coming into contact with sand. They also use them as a way of disguising their faces. In addition, the color of the headgear is also utilized to show off from a distance the wearers tribal affiliation.




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