Turban

What it is

A turban is made by winding cloth around the head, and no two traditions wind it the same way. Some are small and plain, wrapped tight for work in fields or on the road. Others are long, layered and formal, kept for court, festival or prayer. Length matters. A Rajasthani safa may run between one and four and a half metres, while a pagri there can reach about ten metres. The finished shape can mark religion, marital state, region or social standing, and in hot, dusty places it also gives shade and keeps grit out of the hair.

Origins and history

The oldest known picture of a turban appears on a Mesopotamian sculpture from about 2350 BCE. A related style, the phakeolis, was still used by Byzantine soldiers in the years 400 to 600, and later by Greek-speaking people in Cappadocia as late as the early twentieth century. Persian society shaped headgear as well. The qalansuwa, a hat of the Sasanian elite, came in ordinary and tall forms, the taller one tied to court ceremony and rank. The Prophet Muhammad, who lived from 570 to 632, wore a cap with cloth wound round it, an imama, and Muslim rulers and scholars copied that look for centuries.

Faith and identity

For Sikhs the turban, usually called the dastar, carries religious meaning. It covers hair that is never cut, and it shows that the wearer follows the teaching of the Gurus. Guru Gobind Singh made it part of Sikh identity, and the Gurus held that men and women alike may wear one. Shia clerics wear white, or black if they are sayyids, descendants of Muhammad. Some Muslim men choose green for paradise. In parts of North Africa the shade of a wrap can show which tribe a man belongs to, and Sufi scholars wear turbans as part of their learning.

Around the world

In Afghanistan a turban is part of national dress, and male government staff in Uruzgan Province are required to wear the imama. Wraps there are loose and wide in the south-east and smaller and tighter in Kabul, where men favour white, grey, dark blue or black. Nepali farmers wear a pagdi or pheta, and Gorkhali nobles once received white shirpau from the king. In northern Albania and Kosovo, highland men wear a white cloth called the shall, over three metres long, from about age seven onwards.

Today and change

In Britain turbans have been worn since the sixth century, though never widely. When wigs were the fashion, roughly between 1650 and 1750, men cropped or shaved their heads, and a wrap was useful when the wig came off. Now that hats are rarely worn there, turbans are uncommon too, kept mainly by women of West Indian descent and by a few people who use them to make a statement of individuality. On Crete the sariki survives in folk dress and among older men in remote mountain villages. Elsewhere turbans appear in fashion and in photographs of performers.

How Turban is kept

A turban is wound each time it is put on. A person gathers the hair or covers it with a small cap, then wraps cloth around and around, folding and tucking as the local style asks. In some places tassels are left hanging over the face; in others a crest is fixed to the front. Sikhs wrap theirs before going out and keep it on through the day. In Albania the shall is worn over the felt qeleshe, from about age seven, and follows a man to the grave. On Crete older men still knot the sariki for festivals.

When and where

There is no single season or date for wearing a turban. Many people put one on every morning, while others keep it for prayer, festivals, weddings, funerals or official occasions. In northern Albania the shall is worn from about the age of seven onwards and later serves as a shroud. Shia clerics wear theirs as part of daily dress.

Turbans are kept in many parts of Asia, Africa and Europe, with the strongest traditions in South Asia and in Muslim communities from Afghanistan through to North Africa. Sikhs wear the dastar wherever they live, including Canada and the United Kingdom. In Europe the Cretan sariki and the Albanian shall now appear mostly in folk dress and ceremonies rather than in everyday life.

What Turban means

In the Indian subcontinent a pagri stands for honour and respect, and a host may offer one to an important guest. Colours carry meaning: saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for peace, pink for spring and for weddings. For Sikhs the dastar shows commitment to the Gurus' teaching and to equality, since Guru Gobind Singh declared every Sikh a Sardar, which broke the old link between turbans and high rank. In North Africa a shade can name a tribe, and in Albania the shall wraps a man in life and in death.

Questions people ask about Turban

See also

SherwaniA long buttoned coat for men, worn at weddings and state occasions in South AsiaIkatA resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingWater lanternSmall lamps floated on water to honour the dead and ask for good fortuneJirgaA traditional consultative council of elders that settles disputes through consensus

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• BBC - ReligionsBBC, Article
• BBC - ReligionsBBC, Article

• Turban on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

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 2026-10-05.