What is a skullcap (photo)

The skullcap in the East is a kind of passport of its owner. The shape and ornament of this little hat indicate that the owner belongs to a particular people and estate. Not a single man had the right to appear in a mosque, at a holiday, a funeral or a wake without this headdress . Today, this antique piece of clothing is back in a modern costume.

What is a skullcap?

The skullcap is the national headdress of the Central Asian peoples, representing a round or square hat, flat or with a domed top . They are made of various fabrics and decorated with delicate embroidery. The color and ornament of the headdress reflect the features of the lifestyle of that part of Asia where it was made.

The skullcaps are worn not only by Uzbeks, where they have long been a subject of national pride, but also by Afghans, Iranians, Turks, Volga Tatars and Bashkirs. This traditional hat in Asia is worn by all but older women.

History reference

The root of the word "skullcap" lies in the Turkic word "tuba" (or "tobe"), which means "top". In the East, it is believed that the crown of the head is a point of contact with the Universe, and this garment serves as a talisman, protecting a person’s most vulnerable spot from evil spirits and attracting health and well-being .

Symbolically, the skullcap, like the domes of the mosque, is the heavenly vault under which a person is born, lives and dies. Actually, the shape and symbolism of this headdress permeates the whole life of eastern people:

  • yurt - skullcap enlarged hundreds of times;
  • the bowl from which it is customary to drink tea has a dome shape;
  • kasa - traditional dishes for food.

Headgear Features

We have already said that the skullcap can be round and square, with a flat or peaked top. Fabrics for its manufacture can be different: silk, satin velvet, cloth. To make these hats can only girls and women with keen eyesight and special perseverance.

Skullcap Details - Description

This headpiece consists of three parts.

  1. Tyopa - “hill”, or “hill”. This is the upper part of the cap, the same dome that protects the owner of the evil eye. It is interesting that a quadrangular shape allows the skullcap to fold, and, therefore, it is convenient to store.
  2. Kizak is a bastard. It was also embroidered with silk, and various symbols were encrypted in the ornament: birth and death, health and wealth.
  3. Zhiyak - the braid with which the kizak of the skullcap was sewn from below. It was also called upon to protect the owner from evil spirits. It can be pure black or be adorned with one or two repeating motifs.

Types of skullcaps

Today in Central Asia there are many different types of this headgear: flat, cone-shaped, hemispherical and square. The pattern and color of embroidery reflects the ancient traditions and life of the people.

Important! It is customary for a dear guest to present as a gift traditionally important things for every Asian person: a bathrobe, suzane (hand-embroidered wall carpet) and, of course, a skullcap.

If the shape of the skullcaps for men, women and children is practically the same, the elements decorating the cap differ depending on gender and age.

Embroidery on the headdress of men differs, as a rule, in a two-three-color palette, and the patterns on the women's hat are made in a richer color scheme . The exception, perhaps, is only the Uyghurs, whose men's skullcaps are decorated not only with multi-colored embroidery, but also with beads. They are real works of art and often adorn the walls of a home along with carpets.

Important! As early as the 19th century, only men could wear skullcaps. From that time on, the saying has still been preserved: “Are you wearing a skullcap?” That means: “Are you a man?”

Another type of skullcap is the kulokh. This elongated domed cap on a wide band was worn by representatives of the clergy (dervishes). The kulokh could be wrapped on top with a turban, but the peaked top should have been visible.

Girls and young women preferred small round hats with a high circle and put them high on their foreheads. They could be decorated not only with embroidery, but also with pearls, stones and feathers.

The children's skullcap was in the shape of a dome with a sharp top and was decorated at the top with a ribbon with a tassel. Putting this sacred headdress on the baby, the mullah blessed the child, attracting health and well-being to him .

In Turkmenistan, the skullcap is called "tahya." Its shape can be any, and embroidery, as a rule, consists of geometric elements and is performed in a palette limited to red, white, yellow and black colors.

Important! The headdress of a free girl was decorated with a feather, but if there wasn’t a feather on the hat, it meant that the bride was already married.

Features of skullcaps patterns

Each embroideresses have their own secrets of craft, but local traditions are always reflected in her work. We will tell you more about the patterns on skullcaps:

Chustskoy

The most popular is the Chust skullcap, where an ornament made of white silk symbolizing the color of the sun goes along a black field. Traditionally, the caps of the caps were painted with pods of burning pepper, which signified family happiness and scared away evil spirits, and stylized lamb horns were embroidered around the band, meaning strength and courage. Wavy patterns were applied to the zhiyak, symbolizing viability and vitality.

Shakhrisabz

The Shakhrisabz skullcap (“irok”) is distinguished by a rich color palette, as it was embroidered with floral ornaments, where each representative of the flora and the color in which it is presented were called to reflect all the diversity and richness of life .

Bukhara

From the patterns embroidered in gold and silver on the headdress, one can freely determine its origin - this is Bukhara. Such skullcaps are called Bukhara gold sewing. Gold and silver on a hat meant the high status of the owner or the special significance of the event on which it was worn. It is easy to recognize this skullcap by traditional ornaments:

  • "Nightingale's eye";
  • “Sparrow tongue”;
  • circle representing the goal.

Andijan

The Andijan skullcap embroidered with a cross on a dense white base was the most popular among the female population of the East. Traditional colors are raspberry, blue and black. The “snake footprint” pattern symbolized fertility and at the same time served as a talisman from the evil eye . The embroidery with the image of fruits and flowers was complemented.

Tashkent

Also the Tashkent skullcap - an element of a festive outfit - was especially popular with Asian beauties. It is distinguished by its multi-color embroidery with threads and beads on a burgundy, dark blue or dark green background. Stylized images of pheasant, cock and peacock feathers were supposed to protect their owner from damage and the evil eye . In addition to them, animal and plant figures were embroidered on a cap.

Baysun

The Baysun skullcap, rounded with a cone-shaped top, was intended for the representatives of the stronger sex. Embroidery was carried out in restrained tones, however, each color combination hid the deep sacred meaning of a person’s life path. The yellow color symbolized the cotton flower, and the white diamond-shaped element is the cotton itself .

The stub is tall enough, and the beetle was woven manually. Covering the owner’s head like a hoop, he blocked access to the most vulnerable place (crown) by dark forces, protecting his head from all sides.

Karakalpak

Another type of skullcap popular in the East is Karakalpak. A round cap decorated with red, yellow and green threads in a decorative embroidery. There are male and female versions of these hats: women wear a pompom on the side of it, and the embroidery differs in more rounded lines, unlike the male one, where all the lines are broken in the pattern. The function of the ornament is traditional - protection from evil forces and the evil eye .

Interesting Facts

The skullcap has long become a symbol of the East and from a garment of a purely utilitarian purpose, even a sacred one, has turned into a work of art. Embroiderers compete with each other in the skill of making jewelry and are happy to demonstrate their work at exhibitions of various levels. Such a rich material for the development of this art form gives the ancient history of the headdress.

There are many historical facts that, migrating from archives and libraries to the modern information space, again and again draw attention to this ancient piece of clothing.

For example, it is known that the ancient Türks wore a special style of skullcap, which was worn deeply in the forehead. It was believed that the patterns on the headdress helped protect the “third eye” from dark energy.

The shape of the headdress for children was determined on the basis of the tradition of hiding a pigtail on top of the boy under it, which symbolized the child's belonging to the chosen children. A ribbon with a brush at the top of the cap is an analog of this pigtail.

In the 19th century, the skullcap was not yet the subject of a female wardrobe, however, as elsewhere, there were exceptions:

  • atang - the goldfinch who wore this hat, imitating men, thereby protesting against strict patriarchal traditions;
  • women of easy virtue; for this reason, when later the tradition of wearing skullcaps extended to Asian women, women were extremely hostile to this innovation.

And finally, a funny old legend. Once upon a time, one queen, driving through the Karakalpak lands, saw the amazingly delicate and beautiful work of local embroiderers. Wondering, she, in order not to jinx it, spat to the side. Now in the Karakalpak skullcap there is an element in the form of a wheel with the name “Queen’s spit”. And his appointment remained the same - so as not to jinx it.