Theqeleshe, also known asplis andqylat,[1] is a white brimlessfeltskull cap traditionally worn byAlbanians. It has spread throughout Albanian-inhabited territories, and is today part of thetraditional costume of the Albanians. The height and shape of the cap varies region to region.
In Albanian:def. sin.qeleshja orplisi,indef. pl.qeleshe orplisa,def. pl.qeleshet orplisat.
The wordqeleshe comes from theAlbanian word for wool (lesh).[2] According toVladimir Orel, the wordplis comes fromProto-Albanian*p(i)litja, related toOld High Germanfiliz id.,Latinpellis id. andGreek πῖλοςpilos id.,Proto-Slavic*pьlstь id.;[3] according to Michael Driesen, Orel's reconstruction of Proto-Albanian*p(i)litja is incorrect.[4]
There are many ways to make theqeleshe but it is always hand made. The most common way, in Kosovo, is using soap on the wool. In thebazaar ofKrujë, it is constructed by first getting a small chunk of wool that is placed on a table. Then, an instrument similar to a bow is used to beat the wool by hammering the string with a stone or a sturdy piece of wood. The wool is beaten and pressed until the wool strands become knotted around each other. Finally, it is washed, and shrinks.
It is then pressed by a flat wooden instrument on top of it, multiple times, until the wool becomes completely flat and smooth. Then, it is sealed in a flattener for 24 hours and soaked in hot water and salt. The hat is made by two finished, flattened and pressed wool. The corners are removed to form a round shape. Afterwards, soap is added as a glue substitution to finely keep the fibres smooth while both pieces of wool are rubbed together. Then it is washed and beaten to strengthen the fabric, and placed on a wooden model.The shape of theqeleshe is determined by the wooden model on which it is left to dry, and then rubbed with soap again to fix the shape. The wool will be smoothened with a razor. Lastly, a wooden instrument is firmly rubbed on theqeleshe.[5][6][7]
The Albanianqeleshe has been handed down fromIllyrian times.[8][9][10]
The Illyrian hemispherical cap dates from the Iron Age, found both in men's and women's graves, hence it can be assumed that it was worn both by men and women. A monument from Illyrian times that was found inZenica shows a calotte-shaped cap, very similar to theqeleshe. The Albanian/Illyrian cap has been classified in a broader and general Mediterranean framework, relying on illustrations on situlae and girdle plates from the laterIron Age inNorthern Italy and theSouthern Alps. They also feature figures with hemispherical headgear with a small spike. The wearers of such caps are depicted carrying agricultural tools which leads to consider them as country people.[11] Furthermore, in monuments from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD from Bosnia, Illyrians under Roman rule are depicted with similar cap shapes.[12] Such caps are absent in the eastern half of the Balkans, in thePannonian-Carpathian region and in eastern Europe.[12]
The 1542 Latin dictionaryDe re vestiaria libellus, ex Bayfio excerptus equated an Albanian hat with akyrbasia, and described it as a "tall pileus [hat] in the shape of a cone" (pileus altus in speciem coni eductus).[13] An early depiction of the hemisphericalqeleshe can be seen onJohann Theodor de Bry depiction ofMoisi Golemi from 1596, however, earlier Italian and documents exist depicting Albanians wearing theqeleshe from earlier centuries.[14] It is also argued by Nopcsa that it may have been coloured red. During the 17-19 centuries, the appearances description and appearances steadily multiplied, depicting it as a common Albanian headdress as it became more widespread and easily accessible to wear. The white version became the most popular one and was finally declared a specific Albanian national costume during theAlbanian Renaissance.
In the 18-19 century, theqeleshe became popularly depicted in painting depictingArnaut, painters likeJean-Léon Gérôme,Charles Bargue andMarie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier would paint Albanian subjects of theOsman Empire with theqeleshe, as a diverse presentation of theorient. It would be casually depicted in a formal setting, such as inThe Albanian Marriage byJean Pierre Louis Laurent Hoüel in 1785, where the priest is depicted with aqeleshe.
During the 19-20 century,Albanologists started taking photographs of Albanian national attires, many of which would include theqeleshe.Franz Nopcsa von Felső-Szilvás is photographed multiple times wearing the headdress. It then became a popular headdress for Albanian soldiers to wear during the battle for independence,Shota Galica,Isa Boletini andAzem Galica are depicted wearing theqeleshe while fighting Italian, Turkish, Greek, Serbian and Montenegrin troops during thePartition of Albania. Theqeleshe formed part of the official uniform of theWaffen-SS Skanderbeg division andAlbanian Legion.[15][16]
The cap is part of the traditional costume of the Albanian highlanders[17][18] and is considered as anational symbol among a large number of Albanian communities.[19] During the Ottoman period, the hat as a white coloredfez cap was the characteristic Albanian national headgear, in particular of Muslim Albanians.[1][20]
In the northern Albanian highlands, the shape ishemispherical, while inKukës, it is truncated.[21][better source needed] In southern Albania, the cap is taller than in northern Albania, especially in theGjirokastër andVlorë regions, with the exception of theMyzeqe low plains region. In some areas of southern Albania the cap has a small protrusion. The cap is made from one single piece ofwoolenfelt, usually white, that is molded to the shape of the head.[21][better source needed]
The cap is used by men during the traditional weddings of theTirana region.[22]
Alb. plis recently received an etymology by Orel (1998:334) who reconstructs *p(i)litja- which he connects with Lat. pellis 'hide, fur', PSlav. *pblstb 'felt' and Gr. 'πίλος'. It is not very clear what he means with a reconstruction *p(i)litja-. A pre-form *pilitja- with the element *pil- of alleged *pil-s-o- is obviously incorrect. First of all, an element *pil-(s-) 'felt', as argued earlier on, probably does not exist. Secondly, intervocalic*l develops into Albanianll (Pedersen 1895:535-536). One would therefore expect *pllis.
Ne kuadrin e veshjeve me përkime ilire, të dokumentuara gjer më tani hyjnë tirqit, plisi, qeleshja e bardhë gjysmësferike, goxhufi-gëzofi etj
The qeleshe, the white felt cap worn by men, was a distinctively Albanian type of headgear both within the country and beyond its frontiers" [...] "Among the mountain people of the north it was hemispherical in form; at Kukés in the form of a truncated cone
