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Turbans
TurbansAturban—or hat made of elaborately wrapped, finely woven fabric—adorned the heads of women as early as the Sumerian civilization, which began in 3000 b.c.e. The Sumerians lived in the fertile valley between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers in modern-day Iraq. Skilled weavers used their own hands and machines called looms to make the delicate, lightweight fabrics that turbans required. Sumerian sculptures, statues, and royal tomb remains depict women wearing turbans so elaborate that they must have required help in wrapping them. Sumerian turbans draped around women's heads in many different complex decorative ways. Turbans represented one of the many intricate styles for dressing hair that Sumerians practiced. Though little is known about the earliest turbans worn in Mesopotamia, the area in which the Sumerians lived, we do know that the turban became an important form of headwear for men in the Middle East, the Far East, and Africa for much of recorded history. They were common from the earliest years of civilization in India before the third century c.e., and they became popular among Turks after the decline of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 c.e. They are now worn by members of the Sikh religion, as well as by some Muslims and Hindus, in order to show their religious faith. FOR MORE INFORMATIONPayne, Blanche. History of Costume: From the Ancient Egyptians to the Twentieth Century. New York: Harper and Row, 1965. [See also Volume 1, India: Turbans ; Volume 2, Byzantine Empire: Turbans ] |
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"Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500041.html "Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500041.html |
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Turbans
TurbansA headdress with ancient roots, the turban is made from a long strip of cloth, most often cotton or silk, which is wrapped around the head, usually in a specific pattern. The turban frequently covers the whole head, concealing the hair from view, and sometimes the cloth is wrapped around a turban cap rather than directly around the head. Some experts believe that the turban originated in Persia, modern-day Iran, while others think that it was invented by the Egyptians. However, the use of the turban first became widespread during the years of the Byzantine Empire (476–1453 c.e.), and since that time turbans have been strongly identified with Eastern cultures and religions. The Byzantine Empire was characterized by a blend of Eastern and Western cultures, and one symbol of this blending was the adoption of the Persian turban by Emperor Constantine (c. 285–337 c.e.). The turban was worn by both Byzantine men and women, and in 1453, when the Byzantine Empire was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, the Turks, too, began to wear the turban. Though turbans often have great religious or political meaning in the cultures in which they are worn, during various periods certain Westernized turbans have become popular as women's fashion accessories. FOR MORE INFORMATIONHouston, Mary G. Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Costume and Decoration. Lanham, MD: Barnes and Noble, 1977. Tulips, Arabesques, and Turbans: Decorative Arts from the Ottoman Empire. New York: Abbeville Press, 1982. |
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Cite this article
"Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500170.html "Turbans." Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages. 2004. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3425500170.html |
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turban
tur·ban / ˈtərbən/ • n. 1. a man's headdress, consisting of a long length of cotton or silk wound around a cap or the head, worn esp. by Muslims and Sikhs. 2. (also turban shell) a marine mollusk (Turbo and other genera, family Turbinidae) with a sculptured spiral shell and a distinctive operculum which is smooth on the inside and sculptured and typically patterned on the outside. DERIVATIVES: tur·baned adj. ORIGIN: mid 16th cent.: via French from Turkish tülbent, from Persian dulband. |
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"turban." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "turban." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-turban.html "turban." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-turban.html |
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Turban
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JOHN BOWKER. "Turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JOHN BOWKER. "Turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Turban.html JOHN BOWKER. "Turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. 1997. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O101-Turban.html |
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turban
turban Eastern headdress of Muslim origin. XVI. Three main types are repr. by tolibant, tulipan, turban(t) — F. †tolliban, †tulban, †turbant (mod. turban), It. †tolipano, -ante, Sp., Pg., It. turbante — Turk. tülbend — Pers. dulband.
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T. F. HOAD. "turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-turban.html T. F. HOAD. "turban." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-turban.html |
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turban
turban
•Brian, cyan, Gaian, Geminian, Hawaiian, ion, iron, Ixion, lion, Lyon, Mayan, Narayan, O'Brien, Orion, Paraguayan, prion, Ryan, scion, Uruguayan, Zion
•andiron
•gridiron, midiron
•dandelion • anion • Bruneian
•cation, flatiron
•gowan, Palawan, rowen
•anthozoan, bryozoan, Goan, hydrozoan, Minoan, protozoan, protozoon, rowan, Samoan, spermatozoon
•Ohioan • Chicagoan • Virgoan
•Idahoan
•doyen, Illinoisan, Iroquoian
•Ewan, Labuan, McEwan, McLuhan, Siouan
•Saskatchewan • Papuan • Paduan
•Nicaraguan • gargantuan
•carbon, chlorofluorocarbon, graben, hydrocarbon, Laban, radiocarbon
•ebon • Melbourne • Theban
•gibbon, ribbon
•Brisbane, Lisbon
•Tyburn
•auburn, Bourbon
•Alban • Manitoban • Cuban
•stubborn
•Durban, exurban, suburban, turban, urban
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"turban." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 27 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "turban." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 27, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-turban.html "turban." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 27, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-turban.html |
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