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This article is about the headwear. For the city, see Fes. For other uses, see Fez (disambiguation).
A fez

The fez (Turkish: fes, plural fezzes or fezes[1]), as well as its equivalent, the tarboosh (Arabic: طربوش‎ / Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [tˤɑɾˈbuːʃ], ALA-LC: ṭarbūsh), is a felt hat of two types: either in the shape of a truncated cone made of red felt, or a short cylinder made of kilim fabric, both usually with a tassel attached to the top. The tarboosh and the modern fez, which is similar, owes much of its development and popularity to the Ottoman era.[2][3]

Origin and history[edit]

Otto of Greece in an Evzones uniform.
Portrait of the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II after his clothing reforms.

In 1826 Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman Empire suppressed the Janissaries and began sweeping reforms of the military. His modernized military adopted Western style uniforms and, as hats, the fez with a cloth wrapped around it. In 1829 the Sultan ordered his civil officials to wear the plain fez, and also banned the wearing of turbans.[4] The intention was to coerce the populace at large to update to the fez, and the plan was successful. This was a radically egalitarian measure, which replaced the elaborate sumptuary laws that signaled rank, religion, and occupation, allowing prosperous non-Muslims to express their wealth in competitions with Muslims, foreshadowing the Tanzimat reforms. Although tradesmen and artisans generally rejected the fez,[5] it became a symbol of modernity throughout the Near East, inspiring similar decrees in other nations (such as Iran in 1873).[4]

To meet escalating demand, skilled fez makers were induced to immigrate from North Africa to Istanbul, where factories were established in the neighborhood of Eyup. Styles soon multiplied, with nuances of shape, height, material, and hue competing in the market. The striking scarlet and merlot colors of the Fez were initially achieved through an extract of cornel. However, the invention of low-cost synthetic dyes soon shifted production of the hat to the factories of Strakonice, Czech Republic (then in the Austrian Empire).

The 1908 Austro-Hungarian annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina resulted in a boycott of Austrian goods, which became known as the "Fez Boycott" due to the near monopoly the Austrians then held on production of the hat. Although the hat survived, the year-long boycott brought the end of its universality in the Ottoman Empire as other styles became socially acceptable.[6]


The fez was initially a brimless bonnet of red, white, or black with a turban woven around. Later the turban was eliminated, the bonnet shortened, and the color fixed to red. Praying while wearing a fez—instead of a hat with brim—was easier because Muslims put their foreheads on the ground many times during the prayer sessions.[8]

Military use[edit]

French Zouave during the Crimean War (1853–56).







The largely Muslim 13th Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Handschar, which was recruited from Bosnia, used a red or field grey fez with Waffen SS cap insignia during the latter half of World War II. Bosnian infantry regiments in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire had also been distinguished by wearing the fez until the end of World War I.



International use[edit]

Peci, worn here by Indonesian former president Suharto.

The fez is a part of the traditional clothing of Cyprus, and is still worn by some Cypriots today. Traditionally, women wore a red fez over their heads, instead of a headscarf, while men wore a black or red cap.[9] The fez was sometimes worn by men with material (similar to a wrapped keffiyeh or turban) around the base. In his 1811 journey to Cyprus, John Pinkerton describes the fez, "a red cap turned up with fur", as "the proper Greek dress".[10] In the Karpass Peninsula, white caps are worn, a style considered to be based on ancient Cypriot Hellenic-Phoenician attire, thus preserving men's head-wear from 2,700 years earlier.[11]

The fez was introduced into the Balkans during the Ottoman reign where various Slavs, mostly Bosniaks and Serbs, started wearing the head-wear.

Among the Muslim aristocracy of South Asia, the fez is known as the Rumi Topi (which means "hat of Rûm, Anatolia or Ottoman Empire").[12] It was a symbol of Islamic identity and showed the Indian Muslims' support for the Caliphate, headed by the Ottoman Sultan. Later, it became associated with the Muslim League, the political party that eventually created the country of Pakistan. The veteran Pakistani politician Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan was one of the few people in Pakistan who wore the fez, until his death in 2003.


A variation of the fez has been commonly worn in Maritime Southeast Asia since the 19th century when it was introduced by Muslims from South Asia. Known as a peci in Indonesian and songkok in Malaysian, this variant is black in colour with a more ellipse shape and sometimes decorated with embroideries. The Philippine varieties tend to be colorful and highly decorated.

A variation of a black soft fez was used by Italian blackshirts under the Fascist regime. This was in imitation of the red soft fez worn by bersaglieri units.[citation needed]

In Libya, a soft black fez, called the checheya, is worn by the rural population with or without a long tassel. In the east, a red one called a chenna is worn.[citation needed]

In tourist hotels in Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco, porters and bellhops often wear a fez to provide local colour for visitors.[citation needed]

In the last era of the Ottoman Empire, a purple fez was used as a symbol of revolt by eshkiyas (bandits).[citation needed]

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]


  1. ^ "Fez" (online ed.). Merriam-Webster. .
  4. ^ a b Jirousek, Charlotte (2005). Encyclopedia of Islam. New York: Macmillan. .
  5. ^ Quataert, Donald (August 1997). "Clothing Laws, State, and Society in the Ottoman Empire, 1720–1829". International Journal of Middle East Studies 29 (3): 403–25. Retrieved 30 November 2014. .
  6. ^ "Clothing and Fashion, Middle East (Western Colonialism)". Retrieved 13 May 2012. .
  7. ^ Deringil, Selim (January 1993). "The Invention of Tradition as Public Image in the Late Ottoman Empire, 1808 to 1908". Comparative Studies in Society and History 35 (1): 9. .
  11. ^ "The Traditional Costumes of Cyprus". Noctoc. Jan 2008. .
  12. ^ Farooqui, Omair M. "Charminar Connection: The 'Rumi Topi' of Hyderabad" (mailing list).  (login required).