Useful Information About Middle Eastern Turbans

By Leonor Rivera


A turban is fashionable long and slender clothing worn by men to cover their heads. It is wrapped around the head several times applying the tension required to hold it in place. There are various chinstraps that can be used to keep it straight. The material used in making these fabrics determines the price at which they are sold. The materials used by most designers include synthetics, cotton, silk and fine muslin. Middle Eastern turbans are worn to signify religious, cultural and customary affiliations.

There are various ways in which these turbans may be wrapped around the head. These styles are selected depending on the event or occasion at hand. Plain turbans and those with muted colors are appropriate when mourning. Colorful headgears signify the social rank of the wearer as well as tribal and religious affiliations. Those worn during wedding ceremonies are embellished with attractive jewels and shiny fabrics to correspond to the mood of the event.

The wraps in the Middle East are either classified as Amamah or Keffiyeh. These are maily worn by men. The role played by these fabrics is the same although they may differ in quality as well as the method used to form them. Keffiyes are mostly worn around the head to reduce the discomfort caused by the heat from the sun.

Women on the hand wear a turban hijab. This is seen as an alternative to the turban that men wear. It is mostly worn during happy functions such as parties and weddings. It may also by non-Muslims to cover their head as result of a hair loss. According to Islam women must cover their heads in public areas.

There are those people who use them as shawls for the purposes of masking themselves. In regions with windy and dusty conditions they are used to prevent the dust particles from entering their eyes. Some nomadic tribes make use of them to protect themselves from the harsh conditions in the desert.

Travellers in the desert modify them into makeshift pillows during the night. It is slung across the back to help in carrying bundles from one place to another. Many people in this region obtain water from wells. It is used to lower buckets in the wells and to filter it before drinking it. In the past they were used as a weapon to strangle attackers.

According to the beliefs in Islam, Prophet Muhammad always wore black and white wraps. To emulate the example set by him, Muslim men have adopted this practice. The Quran also emphasizes on the importance of wearing these fabrics by the Muslims. The men are required to learn the various ways by which they can be worn. It is viewed as a modest mode of dressing that signifies manhood, devotion and self-respect.

Middle Eastern turbans are designed in different colors and designs to signify various social classes and sects present in the region. Muslim scholars and leaders wear white wraps while black ones are worn by Muslims believed to be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. Green headgears are worn in Saudi Arabia where they are worn during prayers and business meetings. White scarves are common in Libya, Sudan and Egypt.




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