For this post, I would like to talk about Turkish clothing and the history behind it.
The earliest sources found in the history of Turkish clothing date back to the miniatures and wall pictures uncovered in Central Asia. Sources of 100 B.C. reveal that woolen and the cotton fabric were woven on handlooms but silk came from China. The Turkish way of living at that time brought about functional clothing styles. As the horse was the common and inevitable form of transport in the daily routine, women's and men's wear resembled each other (unisex).
Leather and felt materials had priority due to natural and social conditions. In addition to these materials, sheepskin, fur and woolen materials were major constituents in clothes of that period. Sources indicate that central Asian Turks used to wear leather boots, maintain shirt, a short caftan used with a belt, and a kind of riding trousers lose at the top narrowing downwards suitable for horse riding. Caftan and boots also gained significance as a sign of status.
Bashlyks, head coverings, as in clothes, were made of fur or sheepskin with the purpose of protection from the cold. Bashlyks were also observed to be symbols of status. Emigration from Asia to Anatolia caused many cultures to integrate. This was reflected in clothes, symbols, and motifs of the 24 Gagauz tribes which formed a united culture of their own. In the following years, Kırkhiz, Özbek, Uygur, Azerbaijan, Tartar tribes coming to Anatolia were also affected by each other.
Samples of woven material, carpet, and clothes belonging to the "Seljuk" and "Principality" periods are exhibited in museums. Clothes of the Seljuks were produced from materials such as wool, felt, camel's hair, fur, cotton, and silk. The varied climate conditions in Anatolia required clothes to be used in all conditions. Cold climate areas brought in the use of fur linings.
Clothes of this period display pre-Anatolian influences. The principal material was composed of works of the highly developed art of weaving. Materials forming bashlyks and clothes eventually gained variations. In the Ottoman period, as the borders of the empire expanded, new relations were set up, cultures and their clothing traditions reached a static state. Istanbul, Bursa, Bilecik, Denizli, Ankara, Konya, Trabzon, Rize Kastamonu, Gürün were districts well specialized in weaving.
Knowledge of this period is obtained from museums, travel descriptions, pictures and miniatures. The socio-economic differences between the administrators and the common people also affected the clothing styles.
While the Palace and its court displayed showy clothes, the common people were only concerned with covering themselves. The administrators occasionally brought about legal regulations on clothes. These applications were first initiated during the period of Süleyman the Magnificent. In this period men wore outer items such as 'mintan', 'zıbın', 'şalvar', 'kuşak', 'potur', 'entari'; 'kalpak', 'sarık' on the head; 'çarık', 'çizme', 'çedik', 'yemeni' on the feet. The administrators and the wealthy wore caftans with fur lining and embroidery, whereas the middle class wore 'cübbe', 'hırka' and the poor wore collarless 'cepken' or 'yelek' (vest).
Bashlyks were the most prominent accessories of social statues. While the people wore
"külah's" covered with 'abani' or 'yemeni', the cream of the society wore bashlyks such as 'yusufi, örfi, katibi, kavaze', etc. During the rule of Süleyman a bashlyk called 'perişani' was popular as the Palace people valued bashlyks adorned with precious stones. 'Kavuk', however, was the most common type of bashlyk. For this reason, a related tradesmenship was formed in the XVII. century. Fur was a material of prestige in that period.
Comments