Middle Eastern turbans are worn for specific reasons. There are some who don them for cultural purposes while for some, these headgears have a lot of religious significance. Today, these are not just worn for those reasons only. Cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy and lost their hairs in the process put them on also. For others, headgears are meant to complement their looks.
Among the Sikhs, turbans have a lot of religious connotations. They are mainly used for covering their heads, because they never cut their hairs. These people believe that since the hair was created by God, it need not be cut. Eve their beards are never cut too. What they do with them is combing them and tucking them under their headgears.
The significance as well as the reason for wearing these headgears will vary from one area to another within the Middle East. How they are called will also depend on the region in which a person is. In Yemen, for example, Muslim elders are the main wearers. They are known locally as kalansuwa. These will normally take different shapes, being either spherical or conically shaped. Color wise, they also have great variations.
Afghans also have a liking towards wearing the turban, which are also to be found in great varieties. Even within the former ruling elite of the Taliban regime, there were differences in the turbans worn. There the kind of people who have a preference for wearing the solid black, while others would love to wear the longer types. To some Afghans however, these headgears have no significance, which mean they never wear them. They wear special afghan hats instead.
For Iranians, black or white turban is the most common. In fact, the origin of the word turban can be traced to these people. Initially called dulbands, they were worn by people who lived in Persia, which is the modern Iran.
Turbans are not just restricted to the Middle Eastern people. Farther east, Indians are also known for their affection for the headgears. However, the function it serves there are quite different. They show the caste, profession or religious inclination of a person. To denote wealth and power, Indians put on headgears which have been festooned with jewels and which have been made of very fancy clothes.
Within the same region of Middle East, another type, though not technically a turban as you know it, is called a kaffiyeh. It is much like a cap. It is folded diagonally and subsequently donned above the head. Unlike a traditional turban, this is not wound but just folded. If you can remember the former Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, then you might as well know this type since it is the one he wore most of the time.
Come to North Africa, and the reasons are even more different. Here, people use them for protecting their heads from sand. Within the nomadic communities of the same region, their main use is for disguise. You can tell the region of a person by just seeing their color of Middle Eastern turbans.
Among the Sikhs, turbans have a lot of religious connotations. They are mainly used for covering their heads, because they never cut their hairs. These people believe that since the hair was created by God, it need not be cut. Eve their beards are never cut too. What they do with them is combing them and tucking them under their headgears.
The significance as well as the reason for wearing these headgears will vary from one area to another within the Middle East. How they are called will also depend on the region in which a person is. In Yemen, for example, Muslim elders are the main wearers. They are known locally as kalansuwa. These will normally take different shapes, being either spherical or conically shaped. Color wise, they also have great variations.
Afghans also have a liking towards wearing the turban, which are also to be found in great varieties. Even within the former ruling elite of the Taliban regime, there were differences in the turbans worn. There the kind of people who have a preference for wearing the solid black, while others would love to wear the longer types. To some Afghans however, these headgears have no significance, which mean they never wear them. They wear special afghan hats instead.
For Iranians, black or white turban is the most common. In fact, the origin of the word turban can be traced to these people. Initially called dulbands, they were worn by people who lived in Persia, which is the modern Iran.
Turbans are not just restricted to the Middle Eastern people. Farther east, Indians are also known for their affection for the headgears. However, the function it serves there are quite different. They show the caste, profession or religious inclination of a person. To denote wealth and power, Indians put on headgears which have been festooned with jewels and which have been made of very fancy clothes.
Within the same region of Middle East, another type, though not technically a turban as you know it, is called a kaffiyeh. It is much like a cap. It is folded diagonally and subsequently donned above the head. Unlike a traditional turban, this is not wound but just folded. If you can remember the former Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat, then you might as well know this type since it is the one he wore most of the time.
Come to North Africa, and the reasons are even more different. Here, people use them for protecting their heads from sand. Within the nomadic communities of the same region, their main use is for disguise. You can tell the region of a person by just seeing their color of Middle Eastern turbans.
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