![]() ![]() ![]() It’s free and all you have to do is enter your email address in the subscription field at the top right hand side of the page. If you’ve enjoyed this post and want to find out more about Turkish history and culture, subscribe to my blog. Ataturk favoured this style of hat and even though their current popularity is more connected to fashion than health, I like to think a little bit of the past is coming back to remind us how far the country has come. Lastly, there are the faux Panama hats that started to grace heads all over the country in the summer of 2016. These were once restricted to the mosque but are now being worn in public by more devout individuals. Then there’s the shiny small white Muslim prayercap called a takke. For many years I always thought it was called a ‘handicap’, given the physical state of the old men who favour them. The main style I’ve seen ever since I first came here in 1990 is the flat cap, known in Australia and the UK as an ‘Andy Capp’, after the famous cartoon character. He started making and selling hats in his Istanbul shop in 1934 and has made his fortune many times over since then.Īlthough not many people still wear the felt fedoras introduced by Atatürk back in 1925, there are several styles of hat that seem to be timeless in Turkey. Nonetheless the law is still in place today, and was responsible for the rise to fame of Vitali Hakko, the man behind the world famous Vakko label. Phasing out the fez was a rocky affair which saw clashes between supporters of Atatürk’s reforms and those against them. Although he did not want Turkey to become a Western territory, he gave a speech in Inebolu on the Black Sea Coast in which he promoted the wearing of hats and other items of Western dress as essential if the country were to be considered nationalistic, civilised and universal in outlook. Just as it seemed likely the country would be carved up by its former enemies, the Turkish nationalist movement was born, leading to the Turkish War of Independence in which Atatürk played a major role. On the 13 th of November 1918, French troops entered the city, followed by British troops the next day. Harsh as this may seem today, Atatürk was trying to unite a country shattered by the losses suffered in World War One and the subsequent Occupation of Constantinople. Anyone daring to be seen in a fez would be punished, and could even have faced the death penalty. Individuals could choose to go hatless but on no account could they wear a traditional turban or fez. The ‘Hat Law’ meant that only Western-style hats could be worn in public places and it was mandatory for all civil servants to wear one. Renowned military strategist and founder of the Turkish Republic, he introduced numerous policies to bring Turkey into line with Western standards and expectations. The early decades of the 20 th century saw major changes in Turkey, all led by one man, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Long associated with the dangerous wilds of the Orient, a fez remains a popular souvenir to bring home, although the only people you’re likely to see wearing them are ice cream sellers in tourist centres Indeed, the factory that made them, now converted into an exhibition centre, can still be seen on the shores of the Golden Horn. Prior to 1925, the Turkish fez, a conical hat made of red felt, was synonymous with Turkey and the Ottoman Empire. However the story behind their disappearance and eventual re-emergence is telling. These days they’ve become quite fashionable and are more widely available. When I first moved to Turkey hats on heads, like umbrellas in the rain, were scarce. I’m Australian, so coming from a country with one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, wearing a hat in summer, or in my case any time the sun shines, is imperative.
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