Dress and adornmentMiddle East
Kyrbasia
In its own language: *kurpāsa (Old Persian)
The headgear of Achaemenid satraps, later worn by dynasties that followed them
The kyrbasia is an item of headgear recorded in ancient Iranian sources, worn by the satraps who governed provinces for the Achaemenid Empire. Later dynasties in Parthia, Cappadocia, Sophene and Persis adopted it, and the sources note that a Turkic word, bashlyk, is often used for it by mistake.
A kyrbasia was a head covering worn in ancient Iran. The sources describe it as the headgear of satraps, the officials who governed provinces for the Achaemenid king. Ruling houses in Parthia, Cappadocia, Sophene and Persis took it up once that empire ended. The sources do not describe its shape, so it is known by name from texts.
The object itself
What the sources offer is a name and a set of wearers rather than a picture. The kyrbasia served as headgear for the satraps, the men who governed provinces on behalf of the Achaemenid king. An Old Persian term is recorded for it, written *kurpāsa. Beyond that, the record is silent. Its shape, colour and material go undescribed. Nothing is said about how it was fastened, how it sat on the head, or whether it varied with the wearer's rank. The object itself stays out of view.
Rulers who adopted it
Once Achaemenid rule ended, other houses carried the kyrbasia on. The Arsacid kings of Parthia wore it in their early years. In Cappadocia, the Ariarathid kings wore it at the start of their rule. In Sophene, the Orontid house wore it too, and so did the Frataraka in Persis. These were dynasties that came after the Achaemenids, in lands the sources treat as part of the same Iranian world. The sources list them together because the headgear links them. They do not say why each house chose it, or when any of them stopped wearing it.
One name, two mix-ups
Two other names get attached to the kyrbasia, and the sources handle each with care. The first is bashlyk. That word is Turkic, başlık in Turkish, and it belongs to headgear of a similar look worn by Cumans, Kipchaks and Tatars in the Middle Ages. The sources state that using it for the kyrbasia is an error. The second is kidaris, a name found in ancient texts. Here the sources allow a link: the two may be one and the same piece of headgear. They leave the question open. So one name is a mistake and the other is a possibility.
Sources and gaps
The written material on the kyrbasia is thin. Three works sit behind it: an entry by Shapur Shahbazi in the Encyclopædia Iranica on clothing in the Median and Achaemenid periods, Matthew Canepa's study of Iranian royal identity, and a chapter by Rolf Strootman on Persianism in antiquity. Between them they place the headgear with the Achaemenid satraps and with a handful of later dynasties, and they sort out the two names that cling to it. They do not describe the object. Nothing on its size, its making or the way it sat on the head is given.
How Kyrbasia is kept
There is no ceremony here and no order of events, since the kyrbasia is a piece of dress rather than an observance. The sources name only those who wore it: the satraps who governed provinces for the Achaemenid king, and after them the rulers of several successor houses. Nothing is said about a ritual for putting it on, a blessing, or a fixed day. Nothing places it in the present either, so this is a garment known from texts rather than from living use.
When and where
The kyrbasia belongs to the Achaemenid Empire and to the dynasties that followed in Parthia, Cappadocia, Sophene and Persis. The sources name no city for it and no find spot. Nothing in them says it is worn anywhere today.
What Kyrbasia means
The sources do not set out what the kyrbasia meant to the people who wore it. What they show is a link between this headgear and the exercise of power. It was worn by satraps serving the Achaemenid king, and then by dynasties that rose in lands once held by that empire. The sources record this reuse without saying what each house intended by it, whether continuity, legitimacy or something else.
Questions people ask about Kyrbasia
What is a kyrbasia?
It is a head covering from ancient Iran. The sources describe it as the headgear worn by the satraps, the officials who governed provinces for the Achaemenid Empire. Later dynasties in the region also wore it. The sources do not say what it looked like.
Who wore it?
First the satraps of the Achaemenid Empire, the governors who served the king in the provinces. After that empire ended, several successor houses took it up: Parthia's Arsacid kings in their early years, Cappadocia's Ariarathid kings, the Orontids who ruled Sophene, and the Frataraka in Persis.
Is a kyrbasia the same as a bashlyk?
No. The sources say using the word bashlyk for the kyrbasia is a mistake. Bashlyk is Turkic, başlık in Turkish, and it names similar headgear worn during the Middle Ages by Cumans, Kipchaks and Tatars. The sources do not say the two are the same item; they only correct the name.
Is it the kidaris?
It may be. The sources say the kyrbasia could be identical with a headgear that ancient texts call the kidaris. They do not resolve the question, and no description survives to settle it. So the link is a possibility the sources raise, not a fact they establish.
Where and when was it worn?
The sources tie it to the Achaemenid Empire and to the dynasties that came after, in Parthia, Cappadocia, Sophene and Persis. No city is named for it, and nothing in the sources places it in the present day.
See also
PashminaUltra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rank
Persian gardenAn ancient tradition of creating walled, geometric sanctuaries of shade and flowing water
MehreganAn Iranian autumn festival honoring Mithra, friendship, and the harvest
ChovganAn equestrian team sport played with mallets and horses across Iran and AzerbaijanGood reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Kyrbasia", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-12.
More from Iran
All the traditions of Iran
🇮🇳 Srinagar, India and 3 morePashmina
Ultra-fine wool of Himalayan goats, hand-woven in Kashmir into shawls of rankDress
🇬🇪 Georgia and 5 moreChokha
A high-collared wool coat of the Caucasus, worn by men for battle and ceremonyDress
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia and 2 moreHijabحجاب
A Muslim practice of modesty and dress, worn by women as a headscarf or more coveringDress
🇮🇷 Tehran, Iran and 5 moreChadorchādar
A full-length open cloak that is pulled over the head and held shut by handDress
The same idea elsewhere
Royalty and coronation compared
🇺🇸 United StatesTalking stick
A carved staff that shows who may speak at a Northwest Coast gatheringCeremony
🇹🇭 ThailandThai solar calendarปฏิทินสุริยคติไทย
The official solar calendar of Thailand, numbered in the Buddhist EraSeasonal
🇵🇪 Cusco, Peru and 4 moreIntiinti (Quechua)
The Inca sun deity, honoured with temples, offerings and the June festival Inti RaymiSpiritual
🇧🇹 Thimphu, BhutanArchery in Bhutanམདའ (da)
Bhutan's national sport, played with bamboo bows at targets 145 metres awayGame