Papakhi
Encyclopedia
Papakhi also known as Astrakhan hat in English, is a male wool hat worn throughout the Caucasus.
For example, Georgian papakhi are made of wool
and have a circular shape.
The two Russian Papakhis, one called a Papaha, is a high fur hat, usually made of karakul
sheep skin. The hat has the general appearance of a cylinder with one open side, and is set upon the head in such a way as to have the brim touch the temples, some of them comes with ear flaps which can fold up when not using them and unfold them down when using. The other called a Kubanka, which is the same as the papaha, except shorter, and with no ear flaps.
Papakhi are mostly worn in mountainous Georgia: the regions of Pshavi
, Khevi
, Mtiuleti
and Tusheti
. Papakhi are also donned by the Chechens and other Caucasian
tribes and were introduced to the Russian army
following the campaigns in the Caucasus mountains
, becoming an official part of the uniform in 1855 for the Cossack
s, and, later, for the rest of the cavalry.
Shortly after the Russian revolution of 1917
, papakhi were removed from the new Red Army
uniform because of their association with the old Tsarist regime and the fact that many Cossack regiments of the Tsarist army fought against the Bolsheviks. During the Russian Civil War
, many Bolshevik cavalrymen and officers (like Vasily Chapayev
) wore papahas or kubankas because many of them were cossacks and the hat had become a customary part of a cavalryman's costume.
Papakhi became part of the uniform again in 1935, but in 1941, were reserved exclusively for full colonels, generals and marshals, thus becoming a symbol of status and high rank. In 1994, they were once again removed from military use, allegedly upon the request of the wearers, who found the hat inefficient since the Papakhi is a relatively short hat that does not protect the ears well - this might have been acceptable in the mild climate of the Caucasus, but not in lower temperatures - and is not very wind-proof.
The act of removing the papakhi was seen in some quarters as an attempt of the Boris Yeltsin
regime to abandon earlier Soviet traditions and symbolically demonstrate the country's commitment to a new political course. In 2005, papakhi were reinstalled.
For example, Georgian papakhi are made of wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
and have a circular shape.
The two Russian Papakhis, one called a Papaha, is a high fur hat, usually made of karakul
Karakul
See also: Karakul Karakul or Qaraqul is a breed of domestic sheep which originated in Central Asia...
sheep skin. The hat has the general appearance of a cylinder with one open side, and is set upon the head in such a way as to have the brim touch the temples, some of them comes with ear flaps which can fold up when not using them and unfold them down when using. The other called a Kubanka, which is the same as the papaha, except shorter, and with no ear flaps.
Papakhi are mostly worn in mountainous Georgia: the regions of Pshavi
Pshavi
Pshavi is a small historic-geographic area in Georgia, included in today’s Mtskheta-Mtianeti region and laying chiefly on the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains along Aragvi River and the lower Iori River. The Pshavs, who are locally called the Pshaveli, speak a Georgian dialect...
, Khevi
Khevi
Khevi is a small historical-geographic area in northeastern Georgia. It is included in the modern-day Kazbegi district, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region...
, Mtiuleti
Mtiuleti
Mtiuleti is a historical province in eastern Georgia, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It primarily comprises the White Aragvi Valley, and is bordered by Gudamakari on the east, Khando on the south, Tskhrazma on the west, and Khevi on the north. Mtiuleti occupies parts of...
and Tusheti
Tusheti
Tusheti is a historic region in northeast Georgia.-Geography:Located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, Tusheti is bordered by the Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan to the north and east, respectively; and by the Georgian historic provinces Kakheti and...
. Papakhi are also donned by the Chechens and other Caucasian
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
tribes and were introduced to the Russian army
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army was the land armed force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian army consisted of around 938,731 regular soldiers and 245,850 irregulars . Until the time of military reform of Dmitry Milyutin in...
following the campaigns in the Caucasus mountains
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains is a mountain system in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea in the Caucasus region .The Caucasus Mountains includes:* the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range and* the Lesser Caucasus Mountains....
, becoming an official part of the uniform in 1855 for the Cossack
Cossack
Cossacks are a group of predominantly East Slavic people who originally were members of democratic, semi-military communities in what is today Ukraine and Southern Russia inhabiting sparsely populated areas and islands in the lower Dnieper and Don basins and who played an important role in the...
s, and, later, for the rest of the cavalry.
Shortly after the Russian revolution of 1917
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, papakhi were removed from the new Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
uniform because of their association with the old Tsarist regime and the fact that many Cossack regiments of the Tsarist army fought against the Bolsheviks. During the Russian Civil War
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
, many Bolshevik cavalrymen and officers (like Vasily Chapayev
Vasily Chapayev
Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev or Chapaev was a celebrated Russian soldier and Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War.-Biography:...
) wore papahas or kubankas because many of them were cossacks and the hat had become a customary part of a cavalryman's costume.
Papakhi became part of the uniform again in 1935, but in 1941, were reserved exclusively for full colonels, generals and marshals, thus becoming a symbol of status and high rank. In 1994, they were once again removed from military use, allegedly upon the request of the wearers, who found the hat inefficient since the Papakhi is a relatively short hat that does not protect the ears well - this might have been acceptable in the mild climate of the Caucasus, but not in lower temperatures - and is not very wind-proof.
The act of removing the papakhi was seen in some quarters as an attempt of the Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
regime to abandon earlier Soviet traditions and symbolically demonstrate the country's commitment to a new political course. In 2005, papakhi were reinstalled.