Traditional caps of pakistan

[ghazi52]

Traditional caps of pakistan

Famous hats, caps or topies used in Pakistan

Cap of Prayers:

Like few other religions Islam also asks Muslims to cover their heads before entering in the Mosques or other religious places. All types of caps could be used for this purpose but a white color net shaped cap is most famous. Most of the peoples wear it when they offer the prayers but there are few peoples or wear it permanently. These caps are also offered by the administration of the Mosques for the worshippers. Few Mosques has its plastic version with few different colors.


boy wearing prayer cap

white net cap

white net prayer cap

White Prayers cap

Afghan cap


Afghan Cap

afghani cap

Different caps

colorful sindhi topi

embroidery on Sidhi topi



sindhi cap / topi

cap chitrali



lovely chitrali cap

Swati


jinnah cap



Afghani Topi:

It is flat and plain cap which belongs to the Pashtuns of Afghanistan but in the Pakistani side there is a large number of Pashtuns who use to wear this Afghani Hat or Topi. There is no restriction on it so every Pakistani could wear this type of cap according to interest and will. It is a white color cap basically with a little bit of embroidery on it. Golden and white color of wires could be used on its decoration. It has the traditional status for this region.

Sindhi Cap or Sindhi Topi:

With the opened front and multi colors this is Sindhi cap or topi from the soils of Sindh province. It is a well decorated cap with many colors and mirrors on it. Everyone can use it and its front is open just to offer the prayers. This province contains few large deserts so all the colors of the deserts could be find in it.

Chitrali / Gilgiti cap or Chitrali topi:

This one belongs to the local area of the Chitral which contains the mountains. It is a cap which could be rolled and unrolled according to the usage. It is a very warm of soft cap. In Pakistan few old men use it on regular basis but it is common in the winter season. It made with the white and brown wool.

The province of Gilgit-Baltistan is the home of it where it is known as “Pakol”. It is also very famous in the northern areas of the country.

Karakul cap or Jinnah cap:

Due to its expensiveness this cap is used by the politicians, public figures are some religious personality. Karakul cap is also known as the Jinnah cap in Pakistan. The founder of Pakistan and father of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah used this cap in his life. Now days we see on TV that Mr. Hamid Karzai the president of Afghanistan uses the same cap.

Pure wool of Karakul sheep is used in its preparation and that is the reason it is so expensive. These are typical mountain’s sheep. Fetus of the Karakul Sheep wool is in it. It is a famous cap in Pakistan and available in two types of soft and collapsible.

 

[ghazi52]

6 traditional caps worn in Pakistan

It is only now that covering of the head is limited to women exclusively in introverted eastern societies but in the past our ancestors, no matter what culture they belonged to, kept covering their heads regardless of their gender. The colorful Sindhi topi, Punjabi pagri or Pathani cap tell us very interesting cultural tales. In this particular piece, we will try to bring the stories regarding history and science of our traditional caps to you. The history of caps will also elaborate on the division among social classes that has always been there.

Sindhi Cap:

The colors, layers and panache involved in the Sindhi cap are almost unparalleled. During the eighteen and nineteenth century AD, covering the head with a turban, cap or cloth was considered as a sign of sobriety among the people of Sindh, while an uncovered head was measured as social indulgence, therefore according to their statuses people always kept their heads covered. During its early phase, two types of caps had been used to cover heads; one which was made by sewing two folds of white cloth with four circular and one prepared with silk and golden fibers (threads), carved with beautiful embellishments and ornamented with pieces of glass.

The making of a Sindhi cap is like constructing a building where there is a base, walls, a floor, roof, color and plaster etc. There are five styles of caps; round (circular), four cornered, fancy, betel leaf shaped and caps having different designs. The prevailing style of cap has passed from three different phases of its evolution

Pakul (Afghani/Chitrali Cap):


The hat originated in the Chitral and Gilgit regions of what is now Northern Pakistan . It gained popularity amongst the Northeastern Pashtun tribes in the early twentieth century largely as a substitute for their large and cumbersome turbans. It also gained popularity amongst the Nuristanis and the Tajiks of Panjsher and Badakhshan. It is also worn by some Pashtun tribes who live in Kunar and Laghman. There are two basic types of Pakul: the Chitrali style, which has a sewn brim, and the Gilgiti style which is worn much like a knit cap with a feather of the bird. The Chitrali Pakul has many variations which are popular in the Pakistan and Afghanistan. The hat is worn in Afghanistan, Pakistan , and in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well. In Pakistan , it is particularly popular in the North West Frontier Province and Northern Areas such as Gilgit and Hunza and Chitral. It is also worn in some Northern regions of Jammu and Kashmir. The Pakul gained some attention in the West in the 1980s as a Muslim, Pashtoon, or mujahideen cap, as it was a favored head covering for Afghan mujahideen who fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (1979–1989).

Karakul (Jinnah Cap):

A Karakul is a hat made from the fur of the Qaracul, a breed of sheep. The triangular hat is part of the costume of the native people of Kabul which has been worn by many generations of men in Afghanistan.

The qaraqul hat is typically worn by men in Central and South Asia. The folding Karakul was worn by the former Amanullah Khan in 1919. Thereafter, every Afghan king or president has worn this hat. It is a traditional Kabuli costume.

In the USSR, the Karakul hat became very popular among Politburo members. It became common that Soviet leaders appeared in public wearing this type of hat. The hat probably gained its prestige among Party leaders because it was an obligatory parade attribute of the czar and Soviet Generals. By wearing the Karakul hat, Soviet leaders wanted to underline their high political status. In the Soviet Union this hat also took the nickname the Pie-hat[because it resembled traditional Russian pies. It also has its Kashmiri and African variations.

Kulla or Pugree:

A Punjabi pugree, like the Peshawari turban, is a 2-piece affair except that its inner kulla is relatively soft and conical in shape and the outer wrapping is usually, but not always, white and is made of starched, coarse muslin. Like the Peshawari turban the pugree too, has a prominent crest and a tail. The height of the shamla or turra varies from individual to individual and place to place.

The uniform of the prestigious Aitchison College, Lahore, includes a flamboyant pugree as head-wear. Unlike the Peshawri turban it does not unravel easily with a tug at the tail. Probably because of its softer kulla and the muslin lungi, which ties together pretty tightly.

The Punjabi pug on the other hand, is simply a long and narrow piece of coarse cotton, usually but not always white, wrapped around the head. Peasants in villages will use a whole array of colors for the pug. While the pugree is the headwear of the rural elite, commoners mostly wear the pug. While the basic elements of both the pugree and the pug remain the same throughout Punjab, there are variations in the color of the materials used and the way the two are wrapped around the kulla or tied around the head.

Balochi Pugree:

Probably the most spectacular of turbans worn in Pakistan is the one worn by Baloch sardars. It consists of fine, spotless white cotton wrapped around the head in a manner that only a Baloch can figure out and handle. It does not have a crest or Its tail, instead of hanging loosely at the back, comes down on one side of the turban, loosely snakes around the chin and then up on the other shoulder, the end tucked in the folds of the turban, thus framing the face of the person in the folds of white cotton. The turban tail is also used to cover one’s face during dust storms.

With his characteristic beard and mustache, a Baloch sardar cuts a striking figure in his white turban, and sometimes, when riding a horse, looks as if he has just walked off a Hollywood set.

 

[MultaniGuy]

Personally I prefer the Karakuli topi.

 

[ghazi52]

Purgees, or turbans. Turban in Pakistani culture is more than just a headwear. It is also a symbol of one’s honor.

 

[Goenitz]

Baloch turban is outstanding,,,,

 

[ghazi52]

Baloch turban

The men of the Thar desert in South Pakistan.

Thar.

..

 

[DESERT FIGHTER]

No mention of the caps worn in Gilgit Baltistan?

 

[TMA]

Beautiful

 

[ghazi52]

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa inaugurated work on the Turbat-Bulaeda Road on the second day of his trip to Balochistan.

 

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

GB govt announces 10 May as Gilgit cap day



ISLAMABAD: The cultural heritage of an area plays an important role in highlighting the traditions of that place and this can be very well-judged by the observance of May 10 as “Gilgit-Baltistan Cap Day” as announced by the government there.

The dress plays a central role in the identity of a person and the region and traditional clothing of a region is influenced by local culture, geography and weather. Same stands true in case of Gilgit-Baltistan which has rich, beautiful and unique cultural heritage manifested in local traditions, music and dress.

The traditional cap of Gilgit Baltistan has played a vital role to define the identity of people of Gilgit Baltistan. In Gilgit Baltistan, the men wear traditional cap and hence great importance is given to the cap by people and government of the area.

Accordingly, May 10 is observed in the area as Gilgit cap day. The cap has different names in the major local languages and different colours. The soft, round and flat-topped cap is usually white and grey in colour and is made of the finest wool. They are usually decorated with either a tuft of feathers or a flower. It is called Khoi(cap) in local languages.

Its history can be traced back to the days when the region was still divided among small, but fiercely independent princely states which existed before 1947. The cap itself is believed to have become a mainstay of the region during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Gilgiti khoi or cap originated in Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral region and gained fame and popularity amongst the North-east. It also gained popularity amongst the Pushtoon, Nuristanis and the Tajiks of Panjsher and Badakhshan Afghanistan. It is also worn by some Pashtun tribes who live in Kunar and Laghman.

Gilgiti style of cap, which is worn much like a knit cap. The hat is worn in Hunza, Gilgit, Skardu, Chital, many parts of Pakistan, in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan as well. It is also worn in some Northern regions like Jammu and Kashmir where Dard (Shina speaking people live) which was historically part of Dardiatan.

They consider it a symbol of honour whether they are at home or in Bazar, local celebrations or place of worship they prefer to wear their cap. They will have their different caps for work, cap for formal dressing and for routine day to day business. So far very few types of research have been done about the Gilgiticap and its real origin.

Making a woollen Patti from local wool is a long process. Local artisans make it. Once the woolen Patti is ready, it is sewn into a cap by local tailors. The cap has two parts. The cylinder part which is about 10 to 12 inches long and the round part which is sewed and fitted on the top of cylinder part. Once the cap is sewn the rim of the cap is rolled upwards towards the top forming a band. The band of Gilgit cap is thin in contrary the chitrali phakol has a thick band.

Abdul Hafeez, a local trader of Gilgit Caps at Pul road Gilgit said that the most important feature of the Gilgit cap was the peacock plume and the feather stuck in front or on the side of the cap.

He further stated that it gave a very elegant look to the cap; it was considered a part of formal dress cap and used in groom’s dress.

He regretted that very little information was available about the history and significance of feather and peacock plume on Gilgit cap. “In many parts of Gilgit Baltistan a small fresh flower is stuck in front and side of the cap. Flower is a symbol of freshness, fragrance and livelihood,” he said and added,

“When the spring season starts, sometimes the farmers and shepherds stuck a pine tree leave to symbolize life.”

One of the customs of many regions in Gilgit Baltistan is to stuck money into the cap while someone is dancing. This symbolizes the love and respect to the dancer by his friends relatives and fans and the dancer gives this money to the musicians once the dance is finished.

Besides, Gilgiti cap also plays a major role in boosting the income of hundreds of local traders. Haider , a shopkeeper in main NLI market Gilgit said, “Daily I sell more than fifty Gilgiti caps as most of the residents of Gilgit Baltistan prefer to buy local or Gilgiti caps to other caps, in addition to that many tourists from other parts of Pakistan and abroad purchase it, he added.

Keeping in view the importance of Gilgit Cap, Government of GB had in April last year announced to observe the event annually in light of the rising number of tourists visiting the valley.

The GB government had decided to introduce the culture to the people living outside G-B and to foreign visitors. Chief Minister Hafeezur Rehman while announcing the annual cap day said last year, “This is our identity and all government officials will put on the traditional cap on this day every year.

May 10 will be observed as Gilgit cap day as declared by the government of Gilgit-Baltistan.

 

[Super Falcon]

For ne sindhi topi embaded in diamonds worth buying