 Example of white Hejazi Turban. | |
| Type | Arab clothing |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Hejaz,Arabian Peninsula |
TheHejazi turban (Arabic:العِمامة الحِجازيّة, ʾimāmahIPA:ʕi.maː.mah), also spelledHijazi turban, is a type of theturbanheaddress native to the region ofHejaz in modern-day westernSaudi Arabia.
It is but one version of Arabian turbans that have been worn in theArabian Peninsula from the pre-Islamic era to the present day. Islamic Arabs of theArabian Peninsula region such as theQuraysh,Ansar,Qahtanites,Kindites,Nabataeans,Qedarites,Adnanites,Himyarites,Lakhmids,Ghassanids, and others used to wear the turban alongside theKeffiyeh which is also popular today in the rest of theArabian Peninsula.[1]
By the Islamic era, the Hejazi turban became less common in the region and was replaced by theimama. Centuries after that, theimama was replaced by theGhutrah /Shemagh.
The Arabian Hejazi turban is still worn today by someUlama andImams.[2]
Worn in coloured or white varieties, the turban was a common inherited cultural headwear in the region ofHijaz. TheImamah was the traditional headwear for many in the region, from traders to the religious scholars, and the colours in which it was worn differed between individuals.[3]
In particular, the coloured turban is known as aGhabanah and was a common head accessory for the inhabitants ofMecca,Madinah andJeddah in particular.[4]Ghabanah today is the heritage uniform headwear for local traders and the general categories of the prestigious and middle-class. There are several types ofGhabanah, perhaps the most famous is the yellow (Halabi), that is made inAleppo and is characterized by different inscriptions and is wrapped on a dome-like hollowtaqiyah or a Turkishfez orkalpak cap. It is similar to turbans in neighbouring regions, like themasar, a traditional lightly-coloured turban inOman that is also common in some regions like the south ofYemen andHadhramaut.[5]
Additionally, sometimeskeffiyeh is wrapped around the head in a style resembling a turban.[6]
With the Hijaz in particular falling underSaudi control, there have been attempts to suppress local ethnic dress and enforce cultural homogeneity with wider Saudi society.[7] With the introduction of a law in 1964, there was a temporary ban on wearing the traditional turban - local urban Hijazis could no longer wear them and had to wear the Saudi national dress that included aGhutrah orShemagh instead.[8]
