It might be hard to believe for us, but in 1923, there were executions that occurred because people were wearing a fez. You see, the fez was the symbol of the Ottoman Empire as part of an effort by Mahmud II to make the Ottoman Empire more modern or Western. The hat was supposed to replace the turban, something that was clearly very Islamic. However, when the revolution of 1923 occurred, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (read the other discussion on him for background) decided that it was time for the whole of Turkey to get rid of such a hat. He gave the Ottoman Empire the boot, and kicked out just about everything that could be associated with this past, even the alphabet!
Thus, with Atatürk's Westernizing reforms, everyone who maintained the fez on his head, lost their head. Although the exact number of heads that were lost is not known, nor if Atatürk himself was the sole reason for the beheading, we can safely assume that they were meant to teach the current citizens of Turkey a lesson. Today in Turkey, it is illegal for any Turkish citizen to wear a fez. However, it is ok if a tourist shop wants to sell one.
Look up A Fez For The Heart by Jeremy Seal if you want to know a little more about this topic. However, Seal is a foreigner (not from Turkey) and makes a GREAT DEAL of cultural mistakes, but everything does sort of give a good idea of what Turkey looks like culturally.
Replies