Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Turbans For Men And Why They Are Worn

By Kate McMahon


Peaked turbans for men are worn by Sikhs for the purpose of covering their long hair, which is never shaved due to the respect they have for Gods creation. Devout Sikh men also do not cut down their beards. Instead, most of them decide to comb out their beard, twist and tuck it up within their turbans together with their long hair.

Often, Muslim religious leaders wear turbans wrapped around caps referred to in Arabic as Kalansuwa. These caps can be colorful or solid white, spherical or conical, with their styles widely varying from area to area. In addition, the colors of the turban wrapped around the Kalansuwa also vary. Some Muslims consider white the holiest turban color, given that it was the color of the turban donned by Prophet Muhammad.

Some Muslims prefer green since it is considered a paradise color. However, not each and every Muslim wears a turban. In fact, those living in major cosmopolitan regions within the Muslim world western countries rarely wear them, considering them as old-fashioned.

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.

The kaffiyeh is not actually considered a turban. In the real sense, it is a rectangular clothing piece folded diagonally and then adorned across the head, rather than being wrapped the way a turban is done. The kaffiyeh has been popularized in recent times by Yasser Arafat, the late Palestinian leader. However, this headpiece not exclusively restricted to Palestinians. Men in the Persian Gulf states, Jordan and Saudi Arabia wear kaffiyehs in colors and styles matching the regions fashion statements. Jordanians for example wear a white and black kaffiyeh while Palestinians prefer multicolored ones. Men in Saudi Arabia most likely wear their headpieces in a manner that is different from Jordanians.

People living in deserts have for a long time used turbans for men to prevent sand from getting into their faces. Nomadic communities and their tribesmen also use them as a form of disguise. The color of men's headgear can also signify their tribal affiliation from a long distance.




About the Author:



No comments:

Post a Comment