Asia Afghanistan Lungee presentation Turbans are part of the national dress in
Afghanistan. In the Uruzgan Province, male government employees are required to wear the
Imama. They are used more widely than elsewhere in the Muslim world, and are worn in a wide range of styles and colours. In the country's south-east, turbans are wrapped loosely and largely, whereas in
Kabul the garment tends to be smaller and tighter. In traditional Afghan society, a related piece of extra cloth called a
patu serves practical purposes, such as for wrapping oneself against the cold, to sit on, to tie up an animal or to carry water in the cap. Different ethnic groups in Afghanistan wear different lungees with different patterns, way of styling it, fabric, stripes, lengths and colouration. Males of all ethnic backgrounds generally avoid wearing bright-coloured turbans that draw attention to oneself and prefer wearing simple colors that are white, off white, gray, dark blue and black.
China In
China and its frontiers, turbans were worn, primarily by ethnic minorities with Turkic or Islamic cultural influence. Turbans were worn by the
Han Chinese rebels in the
Red Turban rebellion. File:The Subjects two uighur mullahs.jpg|
Uyghurs in
Xinjiang wearing turbans File:T.V. Soong at Mosque in Xining Qinghai May 1934.png|
T. V. Soong and
Ma Bufang at the
Xining Qinghai mosque File:Inner Mongolia Art Troupe celebrating the National Day in Tian'anmen.jpg|
Mongols wearing turbans in 1950
Indian subcontinent In India, the turban is referred to as a
pagri, meaning the
headdress that is worn by men and is manually tied. There are several styles, which are specific to the wearer's region or religion, and they vary in shape, size and colour. For example, the
Mysore Peta, the
Marathi pheta, and the
Puneri Pagadi. The pagri is a symbol of honour and respect everywhere it is worn. It is a common practice to honour important guests by offering them one to wear. Colours are often chosen to suit the occasion or circumstance: for example saffron, associated with
valour or sacrifice (martyrdom), is worn during rallies; white, associated with
peace, is worn by elders; and pink, associated with spring, is worn during that season or for marriage ceremonies.In World War II, some soldiers in the
Indian Army were required to wear a turban. The
Free India Legion also wore turbans. In the Indian state of
Rajasthan a turban, known as
pagri or
safa, is a traditional headwear that is an integral part of the state's cultural identity. It is typically made from cotton, silk, or a blend of fabrics and can vary in length. The safa (Parna) is usually around long, while the pagri can be about . Some of the most popular turbans in Rajasthan include Jodhpuri safa. In
Bangladesh, the turban is known as
pagri, or
fagri in
Chittagong and
Sylhet. The most common colour worn is white, and generally it is the
Sufis that wear green turbans. It is also worn by elders in rural areas as a symbol of honour and respect. The turban in Nepal is commonly worn in rural areas by males. The rural turban is called either a
Pagdi or
Pheta. It is common among farmers. All types of coloured clothes were used for Pheta. Historically, Gorkhali nobleman used to wear white turban called
Shirpau awarded by the
King of Nepal. For example;
Sardar Ram Krishna Kunwar was awarded with 22 pairs of headgear called
Shirpau by the Gorkhali monarch
Maharajadhiraj Prithvi Narayan Shah. It was common among aristocrats in other contemporary kingdoms. Rulers and vassal lords also adapted a crest to the white turban. File:Paag-mithila6.jpg|Paag of Mithilalok File:Rajput (Jodhpur) (8411728143).jpg|A man from India, wearing a
Rajasthani
paggar style of turban File:Tribe of Madhya Pradesh wearing Turban 01.jpg|A man from Madhya Pradesh wearing a turban File:Prince Malik Ata.jpg|
Malik Ata Muhammad Khan,
Nawab of
Kot Fateh Khan in Pakistan, wearing a turban made from of cloth File:Bhakti Thapa.jpg|Nepalese
Sardar Bhakti Thapa, a Gorkhali nobleman wearing aristocratic white
Shirpau turban File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-823-2704-10A, Soldaten der Legion "Freies Indien".jpg|Free India Legion soldiers wearing turbans.
Europe United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, turbans have been worn by men and women since the sixth century without ever becoming very common. Poet
Alexander Pope is sometimes depicted wearing a turban, as were other notable men seen in contemporary paintings and illustrations. The common use of turbans on less formal occasions, among gentlemen at the time, reflects that their heads were closely cropped, or shaved, to allow the wearing of the elaborate wigs that were the fashion in Europe in the century from about 1650 to 1750, and when wigs were off, some kind of head cover was useful. Hence, the turban. Now that hats are infrequently worn, turbans too are relatively uncommon. They are worn primarily by women of West Indian descent, Karinas. Some women wear them to make a statement of individuality, such as the British
social entrepreneur Camila Batmanghelidjh, who usually wore a colourful matching turban and robe. File:Turban MET 85.68 CP3.jpg|alt=A British turban from ca. 1820|The "à la turque" style of this British headdress from c. 1820, influenced and inspired by the popular interest in Eastern cultures, was popular in the 1820s. File:2016 photo - IMG 4988 (37891924662).jpg|Camila Batmanghelidjh, charity founder. File:Elizabeth Bibesco.jpg|Elizabeth Bibesco, actress. File:Mrs. Richard Paul Jodrell by Sir Joshua Reynolds.jpeg|Vertue Jodrell. File:Mary Wortley Montague.jpg|Mary Wortley Montagu, medical pioneer, writer, and poet. File:How a British Woman Dresses in Wartime- Utility Clothing in Britain, 1943 D14780.jpg|World War 2 style.
Albania In Northern Albania and some regions of Kosovo, particularly among
highlanders, men traditionally wear a long, white turban-like cloth known as a
shall or
shalla. It is over three meters long and is worn from age 7 onwards, then used as a burial shroud after death. It is often worn over the
qeleshe (plis), the traditional Albanian felt cap, to protect from the elements. The
shall is most commonly worn in the
Malësia regions and the
Rugova highlands of Kosovo, though it is only seen in traditional folk attire and cultural ceremonies.
Greece In Greece, specifically the island of
Crete, the men traditionally wear a lightly knitted turban known as a
sariki. The headwrap's name is borrowed from
sarık, the
Turkish word for turban. Today, it may be more commonly known as a
kritiko mandili (Cretan kerchief). It is only found in the folklore Cretan dress and not amongst the population, with the exception of older men in remoter, mountainous villages.
Fiji iTaukei indigenous chiefs and priests were known to have worn
masi (barkcloth) coverings around their head similar to a turban, called an
i-sala. However, most of the bulk and shape of the
i-sala came from the bushy hair under the cloth.
Armenia wearing a turban. Though not common in daily apparel, turbans are sometimes worn by men ceremonially (often with beards), as a symbol of national identity during celebrations and festivals. However, before
Armenia became a
Christian nation, turbans were a common part of the daily apparel, just as in other Middle Eastern countries.
Other On the
Swahili Coast, turbans were frequently worn by the ruling
Omani
Sultans of Zanzibar and their retinue.
Tuareg Berbers, and some northern
Berbers,
Sahrawi,
Songhai,
Wodaabe,
Fulani, and
Hausa peoples of
North and
West Africa wear varieties of turbans. Tuareg Berbers often veil the face to block dust. This Tuareg-Berber turban is known as a
tagelmust, and is often blue. The Bedouin tribes in
North Africa sometimes wear brown-beige, white or orange turbans.
Colombian politician
Piedad Cordoba was known to wear turbans (or a similar headgear). Her use of turbans had made her so distinguishable to the point of having earned the nickname "the lady with the turban" in Colombian popular culture.
Kurdish people wear a turban, which they call a
jamadani. It is worn in many different ways across
Iraqi Kurdistan depending on the style of the locality; e.g. the
Barzani Kurds are a tribe which wears the turban in a colour (red and white) and style which is typical of their clan. In most parts of
South Kurdistan a black-white pattern is used for Jamadani. Mostly, Kurdish turbans consist of a length of striped cloth known as
kolāḡī which is wound around a conical hat; the tassels that border the kolāḡī are allowed to hang down over the face. In modern times, many Kurds use black and white
Ghutra and roll them into turbans. Turbans have also been a type of headwear worn by women in Western countries. The wearing of such turbans by women in Western societies is less common than it was earlier in the 20th century. They are usually sewn to a foundation, so that they can be donned or removed easily. Turbans are also sometimes donned to protect hair or as a headwrap for women following
cancer treatments that cause hair loss. They can also be tied together to form a rope in emergency rescue situations. In popular culture, turbans are also sometimes worn as a fashion statement. For example, American rapper
Yeat wears turbans often while being photographed and filmed in public. He also has a song titled "Turban". ==In religion==