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Karakul (hat)
Encyclopedia
A Karakul hat (Urdu
, Pashto, Farsi | قراقلی), famously known as Jinnah Cap in Pakistan
for its frequent use by the country's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, is a hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep
, often from the fur of aborted lamb foetuses.="foxnews">Hamid Karzai's Famous Hat Made From Aborted Lamb Fetuses Fox News The triangular hat is part of the costume of the native people of Kabul which has been worn by generations dating back to the migration of tribes of Israel towards Afghanistan. The fur from which it is made is referred to as Astrakhan, broadtail, qaraqulcha, or Persian lamb. Qaraqul means Black fur in Turkic
, similar types of hats are common among Turkic peoples. The hat is peaked, and folds flat when taken off of the wearer's head.
The qaraqul hat is typically worn by men in Central
and South Asia
and it was very popular among Soviet leaders - members of Politburo. Hamid Karzai
, President of Afghanistan
, famously wears a qaraqul hat. The folding Qaraqul had was made famous by the former king of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan in 1919. Thereafter, every Afghan king or president has worn this hat. It is a tradional Kabuli costume. name="foxnews" />
In the USSR the Karakul hat became very popular among Politburo members. It became common that Soviet leaders appeared in public, wearing this type of hat. The hat probably gained its prestige among Party leaders because it was an obligatory parade attribute of the Tzar and Soviet Generals. By wearing the Karakul hat, Soviet leaders wanted to underline their high political status. In the Soviet Union this hat also took the nickname the Pie-hat because it resembled traditional Russian pies.
, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
. The cap was worn by many of the early politicians of Pakistan, especially the founding party: the Pakistan Muslim League
. The Jinnah cap and shalwar kameez
are the national dress of Pakistan. Many Pakistani politicians and heads of state including President Ayub Khan have worn the Jinnah cap.
The Jinnah Cap is particularly popular amongst Islamic religious scholars and the elder generation of Baluchistan
, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir
.
The velvet version of the cap is called a Rampuri cap, and was worn by the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Sahibzada Liaqat Ali Khan.
In 1937, the 25th Annual Conference of All India Muslim League was held in Lucknow under the chairmanship of Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Before attending this historic session, Quaid-i-Azam wore a spotless Sherwani in which he appeared to be very elegant. At this occasion, Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan offered his own cap to the Quaid saying that it will suit him well with the achkan on. An achkan is a long jacket worn together with the Sherwani specific to Indian royals or nobles. The Quaid graciously accepted the Nawab's offer and the wearing of Nawab Sahib's cap greatly added to his personality. With the achkan and the cap on, as the Quaid appeared on the dais, the huge crowd consisting of 50,000 people burst into loud cheers and the slogans of Allah-o-Akbar, after seeing their Quaid in this dress. The clapping continued for a long time. Since that day the Ismail cap became to be known as the Jinnah cap all over the subcontinent.
of Mali
, and Ahmed Sékou Touré
of Guinea
wore the Karakul cap to show their independence from Europe
an colonial power. The Karakul cap is often worn by African and African-American Christians and Jews
.
Both the velvet and faux fur versions are worn by men of African descent with Western suit
s, and African attire such as the Grand boubou
. Muslims of African ancestry wear these caps with the dishdasha. In urban slang, the Karakul cap is called a fur kufi
, while the Rampuri cap is called a velvet fez hat. When worn properly, these caps are always slanted at an angle, and never placed straight on the head. Leopard
print Jinnah caps are common in Africa
, but are rarely seen in the United States. In popular culture, Eddie Murphy
wore the Jinnah cap in the movie, Coming to America
.
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Pashto, Farsi | قراقلی), famously known as Jinnah Cap in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
for its frequent use by the country's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah, is a hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep
Domestic sheep
Sheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, often from the fur of aborted lamb foetuses.="foxnews">Hamid Karzai's Famous Hat Made From Aborted Lamb Fetuses Fox News The triangular hat is part of the costume of the native people of Kabul which has been worn by generations dating back to the migration of tribes of Israel towards Afghanistan. The fur from which it is made is referred to as Astrakhan, broadtail, qaraqulcha, or Persian lamb. Qaraqul means Black fur in Turkic
Turkic languages
The Turkic languages constitute a language family of at least thirty five languages, spoken by Turkic peoples across a vast area from Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean to Siberia and Western China, and are considered to be part of the proposed Altaic language family.Turkic languages are spoken...
, similar types of hats are common among Turkic peoples. The hat is peaked, and folds flat when taken off of the wearer's head.
The qaraqul hat is typically worn by men in Central
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
and South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
and it was very popular among Soviet leaders - members of Politburo. Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
, President of Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, famously wears a qaraqul hat. The folding Qaraqul had was made famous by the former king of Afghanistan Amanullah Khan in 1919. Thereafter, every Afghan king or president has worn this hat. It is a tradional Kabuli costume. name="foxnews" />
Soviet Politburo Hat
Jinnah cap
A Jinnah cap is a fur qaraqul hat named for the founder of PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a Muslim lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan. He is popularly and officially known in Pakistan as Quaid-e-Azam and Baba-e-Qaum ....
. The cap was worn by many of the early politicians of Pakistan, especially the founding party: the Pakistan Muslim League
Pakistan Muslim League
The Pakistan Muslim League was founded in 1962, as a successor to the previously disbanded Muslim League in Pakistan. Unlike the original PML which ended in 1958 when General Ayub Khan banned all political parties, each subsequent Muslim League was in some way propped by the military dictators of...
. The Jinnah cap and shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez
Shalwar kameez — or salwar kameez or shalwar qameez — is a traditional dress worn by both women and men in South Asia and Central Asia. Shalwar or salwar are loose pajama-like trousers. The legs are wide at the top, and narrow at the ankle. The kameez is a long shirt or tunic...
are the national dress of Pakistan. Many Pakistani politicians and heads of state including President Ayub Khan have worn the Jinnah cap.
The Jinnah Cap is particularly popular amongst Islamic religious scholars and the elder generation of Baluchistan
Balochistan (region)
Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...
, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir
Azad Kashmir
Azad Jammu and Kashmir or Azad Kashmir for short, is the southernmost political entity within the Pakistani-administered part of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir...
.
The velvet version of the cap is called a Rampuri cap, and was worn by the first Prime Minister of Pakistan Sahibzada Liaqat Ali Khan.
In 1937, the 25th Annual Conference of All India Muslim League was held in Lucknow under the chairmanship of Quaid-i-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Before attending this historic session, Quaid-i-Azam wore a spotless Sherwani in which he appeared to be very elegant. At this occasion, Nawab Mohammad Ismail Khan offered his own cap to the Quaid saying that it will suit him well with the achkan on. An achkan is a long jacket worn together with the Sherwani specific to Indian royals or nobles. The Quaid graciously accepted the Nawab's offer and the wearing of Nawab Sahib's cap greatly added to his personality. With the achkan and the cap on, as the Quaid appeared on the dais, the huge crowd consisting of 50,000 people burst into loud cheers and the slogans of Allah-o-Akbar, after seeing their Quaid in this dress. The clapping continued for a long time. Since that day the Ismail cap became to be known as the Jinnah cap all over the subcontinent.
African variations
Karakul caps became popular among Africans and African-Americans in the 1960s. African Presidents, Modibo KeïtaModibo Keïta
Modibo Keita ; was the first President of Mali and the Prime Minister of the Mali Federation. He espoused a form of African socialism.-Youth:...
of Mali
Mali
Mali , officially the Republic of Mali , is a landlocked country in Western Africa. Mali borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Burkina Faso and the Côte d'Ivoire on the south, Guinea on the south-west, and Senegal and Mauritania on the west. Its size is just over 1,240,000 km² with...
, and Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré
Ahmed Sékou Touré was an African political leader and President of Guinea from 1958 to his death in 1984...
of Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
wore the Karakul cap to show their independence from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an colonial power. The Karakul cap is often worn by African and African-American Christians and Jews
Black Jews
The history of the Jews in the African diaspora is related to the Jewish people's long history in Africa, dating to the Biblical era.As the African diaspora grew, because of the movement of Africans and their descendants throughout the world, African Jews were part of that diaspora. In addition,...
.
Both the velvet and faux fur versions are worn by men of African descent with Western suit
Suit (clothing)
In clothing, a suit is a set of garments made from the same cloth, consisting of at least a jacket and trousers. Lounge suits are the most common style of Western suit, originating in the United Kingdom as country wear...
s, and African attire such as the Grand boubou
Boubou (clothing)
The Grand Boubou/Bubu is one of the names for a flowing wide sleeved robe worn by men in much of West Africa, and to a lesser extent in North Africa, related to the Dashiki suit...
. Muslims of African ancestry wear these caps with the dishdasha. In urban slang, the Karakul cap is called a fur kufi
Kufi
A kufi or kufi cap is a brimless, short, rounded cap worn by many populations in West Africa of all religions and throughout the African diaspora.-African and African-American Usage:...
, while the Rampuri cap is called a velvet fez hat. When worn properly, these caps are always slanted at an angle, and never placed straight on the head. Leopard
Leopard
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its...
print Jinnah caps are common in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, but are rarely seen in the United States. In popular culture, Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
wore the Jinnah cap in the movie, Coming to America
Coming to America
Coming to America is a 1988 comedy film directed by John Landis. The screenplay was written by David Sheffield and Barry W. Blaustein, from a story by Eddie Murphy, who also stars in the film. Murphy plays an African prince, who heads to the United States in hopes of finding a woman he can marry...
.