Arts & Culture

Hats Off: The Tarboush in Egypt

mm
Hats Off: The Tarboush in Egypt

Image Credit: Wikimedia

A remnant of a bygone era, a cultural icon with symbolic importance: the tarboush, or the fez, carries a political past, signifying power and status for the wearer.

A red hat for the country’s leading officials, military officers, clerics, school boys, and the Egyptian elite, the tarboush made its way to Egypt during the rule of modern-Egypt’s entrepreneur,  Mohamed Ali Pasha, an Ottoman army officer who seized power in 1805.

It is believed to have originated in the city of Fes in Morocco in the early 19th century. An indication of the wearer’s stature and education was mandatory in Egypt and in other countries such as Morocco,  Syria, and Turkey.

Image Credit: Flickr

“The well-dressed gentleman would keep on Tarboush on a stand beside the front door of his home and six others in is bedroom,” explains Mohamed Tarabishi, one of the last standing fez shop owners in Cairo, to the Baltimore Sun.

Image Credit: Flickr

The Tarboush was slowly abolished after president Gamal Abdel Nasser sized power as it was considered one of the symbols of the former-ruling elite.

Image Credit: Wikimedia

In efforts to nationalize Egypt, Abdel Nasser imposed laws for those who did not comply with the new regulation.

Image Credit: Flickr

Although the red brimless hat faded with time, it is still worn and adorned by Azhar clerics and sheikhs. Students and scholars at al-Azhar University, as well as other Muslim religious clerics, also wear it.

 

 

Specialty Būn: How Two Brothers Are Changing Egypt's Relationship with Coffee
Lotus, Jasmine, Oud: 5 Scents that Take You to Egypt

Subscribe to our newsletter


Arts & Culture
mm

Farah Rafik is a graduate from the American University in Cairo (AUC) with a dual degree in Multimedia Journalism and Political Science. After being an active participant in Model United Nation (MUN) conferences both locally and internationally, Farah discovered her love for writing. When she isn’t writing about Arts & Culture for Egyptian Streets, she is busy watching films and shows to review. Writing isn’t completed without a coffee or an iced matcha latte in hand—that she regularly spills. She occasionally challenges herself in reading challenges on Goodreads, and can easily read a book a day.

More in Arts & Culture

6 Photographers Documenting the Beauty in Egypt’s Mundane 

Dina Khadr30 March 2023

5 Brands that Are Keeping Egypt’s Artisanal Crafts Alive

Dina Khadr29 March 2023

Who are The Unknown Pioneers of Egyptian Photography?

Farah Rafik28 March 2023

7 Ramadan Radio Shows to Give a Listen To

Farah Rafik26 March 2023

Egypt to Get Its Very Own Fashion Week For the First Time

Egyptian Streets26 March 2023

Women-Led and Directed Series to Watch this Ramadan

Amina Abdel-Halim24 March 2023

Empowering the Next Generation of Female Athletes: Egypt’s Khadija Hegazy

Mirna Abdulaal22 March 2023

How Arabs Are Being Represented in Entertainment: Are Orientalist Tropes Still Pervasive?

Dina Khadr22 March 2023