Turkish trousers

What it is

A şalvar is a pair of trousers cut wide through the seat and the legs and then drawn in close at the ankle, so the cloth above the calf stays loose. In English the garment is often called Turkish trousers. It forms part of Turkish folk dress. Other pieces of clothing may be worn over it or under it, and a man may add the loose coat known as a jubba on top. The word covers several cuts, since one pair can hang far fuller than another, but the narrow ankle is what they share.

Origins and history

The name traces back to the Greek saravara, which was borrowed from a Scythian word, *šarabāra; the two meant trousers of the Scythians. On that basis some writers have argued that the şalvar arrived together with the nomadic Turkic peoples, in a world where Turkic and Scythian traditions had long mixed. Within Turkey itself the women's traditional suits reach back to Ottoman times. In the 1920s Mustafa Kemal Atatürk began directing Turkish dress toward European models as one of his reforms, a change that touched official clothing more than country habits.

How women wear it

Women wear the şalvar with tops that come in different shapes and lengths. A complete traditional outfit joins three pieces: the gömlek, a chemise; the şalvar; and the entari, a robe. Bagginess differs from pair to pair, and each pair is gathered in at the ankle. Women living in the countryside tend to choose strong colours and prints with flowers on them. The wide cut, drawn tight at the foot, is what gives the women's version of the dress its recognisable line.

How men wear it

A man's traditional outfit puts the şalvar together with a yelek, which is a vest, and a cebken, a jacket. A jubba, the loose coat, can also be worn over the trousers. Among men the garment has its greatest following in the south of Turkey, particularly in country villages across Cilicia and in the Diyarbakır and Urfa areas. It is worn as everyday clothing in that region. The shape is the same as the women's: wide through the leg and narrow at the ankle.

Today and change

Reforms in the 1920s turned official Turkish dress toward European styles. The şalvar survived them. In many parts of the country men and women continue to wear it, and doing so does not signal a person's social position; the choice is open to anyone. Rural women in particular keep the brighter, flowered examples. Other cultures have their own loose trousers of a comparable kind, cut and named differently.

How Turkish trousers is kept

Dressing begins with the trousers themselves. A woman may put on a gömlek, a chemise, then the şalvar, with an entari, a robe, over the top, and tops of varying length and style above that. A man may wear a yelek, a vest, and a cebken, a jacket, with the jubba, a loose coat, going over the şalvar as well. Each pair is pulled up and drawn tight at the ankle, which keeps the wide cloth in place and leaves the legs easy to move.

When and where

There is no fixed date for the şalvar. It is clothing rather than a calendar observance, and people wear it through the year as part of ordinary dress, not on one set day.

The şalvar belongs to Turkey, where it counts as folk dress and is worn in the countryside and in towns. Women wear it in many areas, often in bright, flowered versions in rural places. The men's version has its main following in the south, especially in Cilician villages and around Diyarbakır and Urfa.

What Turkish trousers means

For those who wear it, the şalvar is everyday clothing rather than a costume. It is counted as part of Turkish folk dress, and the women's traditional suits are described as belonging to the country's culture since Ottoman days. People of every social rank wear it, so the garment carries no marker of rank; it is simply what many in Turkey put on.

Questions people ask about Turkish trousers

See also

KalpakA tall cap of Turkic peoples, thick for winter and wide and light for summerSalwarLoose trousers gathered at the ankle, worn with a kameez across South AsiaYelekAn embroidered Ottoman vest without sleeves or collar, once worn by men and womenYashmakA traditional face and head veil worn in Turkey, Egypt and Turkmenistan

Good reading and sources

• Turkish salvar on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• 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 2026-10-14.