| Show European Types of Hats Replace ace Fez I Changes in Headgear in Turkey Significant Washington Hats Hats and history are not coupled in most peoples people's minds says Bays a bulletin from the Washington headquarters of the National Geographic Geographic Geographic Geo Geo- graphic society anent the recent ef efforts efforts forts of Turkish leaders to have the fez replaced by European types of hats but in Turkey radical chan changes es esIn In types of head coverings have marked Important historical develop develop- men ments ts When the Ottoman Turks came carne down out of Central Asia as rough ridIng riding rid rid- riding ing plainsmen they are believed to have hafe worn orn the high soft cap of astrakhan astrakhan astrakhan as as- wool known as the kalpak kalpak- a u sort of little brother to the drum drum- majors major's fuzzy towering head piece of today The Turks have haye shown a tendency ten tea dency to take their reforms by sudden sud sud- sudden udden ud- ud den spurts holding tenaciously to th the latest Innovation between times Before Defore Before Be De- fore long after afler their arrival al In southern southern southern south south- ern Asia Ala they y had gone over o bodily to the turban of that region and this remained the characteristic headgear for man many centuries Turban Told Rank The turban became the complex badge hadge of rank and even profession In Turkey at the height of its power From the white snow turbans of the Moslem ecclesiastical dignitaries and the huge piles plies with distinctive stripes and shapes of ot the grand vizier and lesser political lights these bead head coverings coverings coverIngs cov cov- ranged down to the dirty cloths wound round the heads of the peasants Ever Every good Turk during this era had the profoundest contempt for things European and the time hat was the badge of the infidel One of the greatest insults that could be offered to a Turk who vho had shown too great friendliness t toward ward Franks was to nail a ml hat to his door The fez which has been associated In the minds of the last few generations generatIons generations genera genera- with all things Tura Turkish Ish came carne as one of the sudden Turkish reforms relatively cl a short time ago Sultan Mahmoud II who ruled during the early years of the Nineteenth century s- s r wished like Peter the Great of Russia Russia Rus Rus- sia sla to modernize his people and turn their thoughts from Asia He decreed that his people should abandon the turban and wear the fez doubtless influenced Influenced Influenced in- in In In- by the fact that the latter is at once more modish and more con con- Bt coupled the fez with the Introduction of f the frock coat for his courtiers and the well dressed young oung Turk in general and was cursed roundly by most of his people as the Infidel sultan The use of ot the fez continued however to such good advantage advantage ad- ad vantage antage that within a generation orso orso or orso so it was looked upon b by the outside world and no doubt by most Turks as the distinctive old age-old Turkish head covering Brims Interfered With Prayer Why Mahmoud settled on the fez as the Ole particular type of head covering coverIng coverIng cover- cover Ing to replace the turban Is hard to understand Most of his reforms looked toward westernization But something very like the fez was worn b by the ancient Assyrians and and it is supposed to have come down downto to modern times through the Byzantines Byzantines tines and the Greeks One thing In its favor was Its lack of a brim So I long as the Turks were devout Moslems Moslems Mos Mos- Ios- Ios lems practicing their prostrations at lf prayer er time brims were not permissible permissible permissible sible since they interfered with the touching of the forehead to the ground After the World war when a revolution revolution revolution revo revo- lution became successful in Turkey the leaders at first turned back to the ancient kalpak kapak of the original Turks This head covering became popular as us signifying a return to time the virtues of the old stock and was worn by all people of prominence in the new re re- re- re gime Like all the other changes In head hearl coverings the most recent move In favor of ot the tIle straw and fedora of western western western west west- ern Europe has Its significance The caliphate has been abolished the Mohammedan Mohammedan Mohammedan Mo Mo- religion has been removed remo from its place of power In the government government gov gov- and there is no more reason wh why a Turk should not wear a brim if he chooses than an Italian or an Eng Eng- lishman And the movements that accompany ac uc- uc- uc company this of head hend coverings Is significant Polygamy has been abolished women are encouraged to abandon the veil velI marriages are to tobe tobe tobe be civil only and an entirely new code of laws modeled largely after European Euro Euro- penn llean systems is being drafted The Turk lurk is not only changing his hat he heis heis is making himself over oyer cap a pie I |
