Fez

The Fez ( also Fez or Tarbusch ) is a formerly in the East and in the Balkans widespread headgear in the shape of a truncated cone made ​​of red felt with a flat cap with mostly black, blue or golden tassel, named after the city of Fez in Morocco.

History

The exact origin of Fez is unknown. He was disseminated to the entire North African coast before its establishment in the Ottoman Empire, eponymous for the headgear was the Färbemittelherstellung in the Moroccan Fez. The Fez in this original form is still worn in Tunisia and Morocco and is about twice as high, and with longer tassels equipped than the otherwise known Fes. 1453 ( after the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans ) that headgear came over Venice as a servant costume for both men and women in fashion. Another, more historical thesis is that the Fez is of Greek origin.

The Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II had the goal to reform the official tradition clothing of the imperial staff referred to a stronger orientation to the West. First, he had support of the European tricorn in view, but his advisers instructed him to go to the link to the Christian conception of the Trinity. Since just a boatload of Fez had arrived from Tunisia, they instead were elected as new headgear. The introduction of Fez was carried out in two steps. 1826 was the importation of Fez for the Army in 1829 compulsory for the civil and religious servants in the course of clothing reform. The wearing of the usual oriental, so-called old Turkish costume, which included besides harem pants and the turban was prohibited. The introduction of Fes led to protests among the religious groups who accepted only the turban as the Islamic rites justice. Some of them wore the fez as a protest on the turban and also some Europeans criticized the lack of oriental aesthetics. With a fatwa issued by the Scheichülislam which sanctioned the Fez religious, went out the resistance and in time became a strong patriotic symbol. For government employees, she participated in a political meaning service mark, the color of the tassel thereby determined the rank of the wearer. Everyone - including non-Muslim - citizens had to carry him, which led to an optical unification of the various citizens of the Ottoman Empire in the sense of the Western approach of the sultan. For government employees, the color of the tassel determined the rank of the wearer and also some women wore the fez, but in a smaller version that had no tassel.

Mahmut II founded to implement the reform dress a Fez Factory in Istanbul, Feshane which equipped with Tunisian craftsmen started production. The city of Fes initially had a monopoly on the production of Fez, as they controlled the spread of the Kermes scale insect, which served the characteristic color of crimson hats. After the discovery of synthetic aniline dyes in the 19th century, the way was cleared for the manufacture of hats in France, Germany and Austria. At the beginning of the 20th century were so Strakonitz in South Bohemia and Guben in Lower Lusatia centers of Fes- production, which increasingly dominated the Ottoman market. The Turkish Fesproduktion increasingly limited for the richer upper class. Especially the Austrian exports accounted for a significant proportion so that even back attacked the Ottoman War Ministry on the cheaper Austrian products. The Austrian monopoly lost his position in 1916 a tariff protection and the technical upgrading of domestic production by European experts.

In large parts of the Young Turk movement of Fez became increasingly unpopular with the invasion of Austria - Hungarian troops in 1908 in the Ottoman Bosnia, so you calling for a boycott of several months and moved the Central Asian Kalpak among the officers. In the army of Fez lost its significance because the unshielded form prepared the soldiers in sunlight difficulties, so that in the army increasingly initiated by Enver Pasha helmet Enveriye prevailed in the early 20th century.

Wearing a Fez was used as a sign of comfort in parts of Europe during the Biedermeier period. Similarly, the Fez was often an integral part of the uniforms of various militias in Fascist Italy. With great tassel and in an almost bag-like form of Fes is also part of the Greek national costume.

Ban

Kemal Ataturk held the Fez for a sign of backwardness and dressed himself to Western Art, among many other reforms was therefore on August 30, 1925 by Hat Act banned the wearing of the Fez to Turkey for the " modern world ", to open. Around 1930, the Fez was almost completely disappeared from the public. After his ban in Turkey wearing the Fez is prohibited under Nasser as a "sign of anachronistic backwardness " under penalty since 1953 in Egypt.

In Bulgaria, at the state level of Fez banished " as a sign of Ottoman domination over Bulgaria " from the public.

Literary echo

In the novel Le Tarbouche (1992 ) by Robert Solé is among others detail the manufacture, distribution, carrying method and the symbolic meaning of Tarbuschs, the Egyptian version of the Fez described. The book is about the rise of a businessman and a trader Georges Batrakani the leading Tarbusch - makers in Egypt until the end of Tarbuschs in the 1950s.