Hang On To Your Hats: An Exhaustive Guide to Central Asian Headgear

Beyond things like unique politics and the -stan suffix, Central Asia is known for its headgear, and probably in no place is this more visible and famous than in Kyrgyzstan. I think it’s safe to say that just about every culture has a traditional headgear of some sort, whether it’s a hairstyle, hat, helmet, scarf, or some combination thereof, but here takes it to a whole new level.

In America, we’ve got the baseball hat (although a slouchy beanie might be taking over in a lot of urban settings). In France it’s the beret (even if I’ve seen more berets living in Kyrgyzstan than I ever saw living in France). But in Kyrgyzstan, there’s a whole selection of headgear for men and women that forms an external representation of several aspects of one’s identity. Here’s an (almost) exhaustive guide to headgear that you’ll probably encounter here in Kyrgyzstan.

Women

Sharf (“Scarf”)

Lots of women wear Russian-style scarves with bright floral patterns and fringe tied around their heads “pirate-style.” Many Uzbek women wear different, smaller print scarves tied under their chins as a hijab. This is sometimes a religious covering, but often primarily a cultural one, particularly with Kyrgyz women. My host mom will tie one on whenever her mother-in-law is visiting us.

Jooluk (Жоолук)

The Jooluk is a specific headscarf to Kyrgyzstan. It is a white scarf, often with some designs on it in white, and rarely with some colored embroidery along the back edge. It is tied “pirate-style” from the forehead around behind the head. This scarf is traditionally worn by women for the first two years of their marriage, or until the mother-in-law gives a woman permission to stop wearing it, and is an easy way to spot newlyweds. It is said to represent the women’s acquiescense into the marriage and role as her husband’s wife, and as such, the tying on of a jooluk by the bride’s mother-in-law is a symbolic part of some weddings, particularly those where the bride is kidnapped (bride kidnapping is illegal, but still happens, even in major cities).

Shokulo (Шөкүлө, Saukele in Kazakhstan)

The Shokulo is a tall traditional conical hat worn by young Kyrgyz women for the occasion of a traditional wedding. It’s made from felt and furs, and the more wealthy a family, the more bijouterie would be attached. Feathers and evil eyes usually accompany to protect against spirits, a carry-over from some of the animistic religions that were prevalent prior to Islam. While nowadays most women wear a big white dress and American-style veil for their weddings, the Shokulo has lived on as a part of formal ceremonial national dress and in performance costumes and music videos. It’s as much a symbol of Kyrgyzstan as the Ak-Kalpak is for men.

Elechek (Элечек)

Also known as the “Kurmanjan Datka Hat,” this hat-plus-scarf setup is reserved for matriarchs, usually once they’ve married off their kids from what I’ve seen. According to many sources, the jooluk was worn for the first three days of marriage, before the bride’s mother would wrap the more formal elechek onto her head after that (although this practice has changed today). While the modern national costume is quite uniform, traditionally there is much diversity in the appearance of the elechek, and one could determine a woman’s tribal affiliation by the designs and way her elechek was wrapped. It also could be used to show a woman’s social standing – wealthy women might wrap up to thirty meters of fabric to produce an enormous elechek. That material would then be used as a funeral shroud following her death. Nowadays, one can purchase a premade hat-plus-fabric-chinstrap version that is much more practical to wear. Like the Shokulo, it’s now mostly reserved for occasions that call for formal national costume and performances. Kurmanjan Datka, the “Queen of the South,” is almost always depicted wearing this style of headgear, which is why it is so synonymous with her. A version of it even appears on the 50 som bank note along with her likeness.

Takiya (Такыя)

The Takiya is a smaller cap formed by a tube of fabric closed at the top with a drawstring, with decorated ear flaps that might drop down to a woman’s shoulders. More formal versions are sculpted to the shape of the head with a small peak at the top. The back portion usually hangs down the woman’s back, with many designs and charms designed to ward off evil. Like other forms of traditional dress, today this is reserved for special occasions and performances only. In fact, finding a photo of it was extremely difficult.

Suusar Tebetei (Суусар Тебетей)

This hat is a leather cap with a big puffy fur trim around the base and, for women, a large pom-pom or burst of feathers at the top. It’s very closely related to the male version, and is primarily a winter hat. While other hats on this list are mainly reserved for ceremonial purposes, a simplified version of this hat (with just the cap and fur) is very common for city women here in the winter.

Uku Topu (Үкү Топу)

This hat, also with a male equivalent, is a round, yurt-shaped hat with intricate embroidery and, for women, a large pom-pom or feather burst from the peak. This one was also very difficult to find a photo for, so apologies for the poor quality image.

Toqi

Tajik women wear this sort of pillbox hat as a part of their national dress. It is superficially similar to the Topu, and is usually made in bright colors, often even matching the prints of a woman’s traditional kurta (dress with matching pants underneath). While common everywhere in Tajikistan, I’ve also seen this on a few occasions here in Osh. Different designs and shapes can indicate which group in Tajikistan a woman belongs to, such as the Kulobi or the Pamiri.

Tyubeteyka

The tyubeteyka is very similar in shape to the Toqi, and also has vibrant embroidered designs. It’s usually seen more in Uzbekistan, as most Uzbek women in Osh wear a headscarf of some kind rather than a hat. A male version exists as well.

Other Hijab

Many women, especially in Osh, wear modern internationally fashionable hijab, or just other headscarves tied in a babushka style or in a style that can be seen across many different countries. It’s not particularly unique to Kyrgyzstan, so I’m not going to go super in depth on it.

Men

Ak-Kalpak

What more is there to say? It’s one of the most distinctively iconic pieces of national headgear I would argue anywhere in the world. It’s constructed from four ogee-shaped pieces of white felt that are often embroidered, with the bottom edge folded up (usually the back half, but sometimes all the way around). The shape is said to symbolize the tall mountains of Kyrgyzstan. Very conveniently, ak-kalpaks fold completely flat, making them not only very easy for men to transport with them, but also excellent souvenirs for tourists. Even today, many men across Kyrgyzstan (and Kazakhstan) wear these as an assertion of their identity. I particularly love the juxtaposition of sitting on a Boeing jet here (made in Seattle, where I used to live), and seeing a few kalpaks poking up from the seats ahead. It’s also worn as a part of the Olympic uniform for Kyrgyzstani athletes.

Kalpaks come in several styles. All-white kalpaks are usually more formal and for festivals and other occasions. Everyday kalpaks usually have a black velvet lining. Kalpaks for younger men will have a notch in the brim at the front, giving it two peaks, while older men may wear one that has a brim that folds up all the way around without the notches.

A lot of tradition surrounds kalpaks. First of all, it is said that you must not kill a man wearing a kalpak, a kalpak must never be set on the ground or near your feet. And most Kyrgyz men feel extremely connected to their culture and nation when they wear the kalpak. It’s impossible to understate the significance of this humble hat to the people of Kyrgyzstan.

Topu (Топу)

The Kyrgyz Topu looks like a kalpak that has been transformed into a skullcap. It has the same construction and designs, but sits directly on the head. They’re much less common than kalpaks, and almost no images exist of them online.

Duppi

Uzbek, Uyghur, and Tajik men all wear a very similar family of hats called Duppi (which is the Uzbek way of pronouncing “Topu). Like the ak-kalpak, they’re made up of four panels of black stiffened fabric, and can also fold flat for easy storage and transport. The embroidered designs represent peppers and produce.

Tebetei (Тебетей)

This hat is a leather cap with a big fur trim around the edge. They’re very warm, so they’re a traditional hat to wear in the wintertime, especially in rural areas. In addition, they are considered traditional dress in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and among Russian Tatars.

Malakhay (Малахай)

A variant on the Tebetei, it combines the Russian Ushenka with a Tebetei and an American fox-tail hat. It’s big and fluffy and is appropriate wear in the windy cold of the Central Asian steppe. It’s no wonder that a hat like this exists.

Tebeteika (Тебетейка)

The tebeteika is worn by Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Uzbeks, and even Crimean Tatars (according to Wikipedia). It’s very closely related to the Topu and the Duppi, and is often embroidered with traditional designs of the group that produced it. Interestingly, while traditionally worn by Muslims, it’s also used as a Jewish kippah (head covering) by Bukharan Jews, and is also becoming a Jewish fashion trend in some groups of Sephardic and Moroccan Jews. How’s that for unexpected cultural crossover?

Toqi

This Tajik cap is actually almost identical to the female version, but with more muted designs. I haven’t seen one in Osh, but they’re ubiquitous in parts of Tajikistan.

Kepka

Kepka just means hat, but it refers most often to this style of newsboy cap that is ubiquitous in cities and villages across Kyrgyzstan (and, really, much of the world). When she saw this photo, my counterpart said that these were extremely popular during the Soviet time.

Other Muslim Skullcaps

Many men choose to cover their heads for religious reasons, but choose to do so with a taqiyah or other non-Kyrgyz style Muslim head coverings. Especially in Osh, these are common.

Other Important Hats

Karakalpak Kara Kalpak

In Uzbekistan, there is a minority ethnic group called the Karakalpaks, whose name literally means “black hat people,” ostensibly because they wore a – you guessed it – kara (black) kalpak (hat). Karakalpaks have their own autonomous oblast within Uzbekistan, and speak an Eastern Turkic language that is closer to Kyrgyz and Kazakh than the Central Turkic Uzbek (although they are all mutually intelligible with a little practice). I’ve never seen one in Kyrgyzstan, but their culture is related enough that I wanted to include it.

Turkmen Telpek

The Turkmens also have a traditional hat, although I haven’t actually seen one here. From a practical perspective, the sheep-wool construction of this hat seems completely logical to stay warm in the wind and cold of the Turkmen deserts at night. From a cultural perspective, it’s become an important part of Turkmen identity.

Mongol Malgay

I’m including this hat because of the similarity in appearance and construction to the Kyrgyz kalpak. Given the shared cultural history of the nomadic Mongols and Kyrgyz people, it’s no surprise that we can identify potentially shared genesis of the traditional headgear.

Russian Ushenka

Even though this is a common wintertime hat for everyone everywhere across the world now, I really just wanted an excuse to include these two photos.

Thanks to my local friend Dima for his help in naming all these hats and for this helpful diagram of Kyrgyz National Costume:

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! This post took almost two full days of researching to pull together, so I appreciate your time! Thank you to the people whose photos I am using on this post. If you don’t want me to use your photo, please let me know and I’ll be happy to find another.

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