Turban

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Turban

 

a type of women’s and men’s headgear made of a strip of cloth wound around the head. Sometimes worn over a skullcap or a fez, turbans are used by certain peoples of northern Africa, India, Southwest Asia, Middle Asia, and the Far East. A commonly used Russian word for turban is chalma.

---

Turban

 

a type of man’s headgear that was once widely worn by Muslims of North Africa, Southwest Asia, South Asia, Middle Asia, and, sometimes, the Caucasus.

The turban is a length of fabric that is wound around the head. It is usually worn over a cap, fez, or skullcap, although it is sometimes worn—in India and Pakistan, for example—without any other head gear. It used to have ceremonial significance; for a Muslim who died on a journey, it served as a shroud. Among different peoples, the turban varies in color, quality of material, size, and method of winding, thereby indicating not only the nationality but also the social position of the wearer; for example, green turbans were worn by descendants of a prophet or by people who had been to Mecca, and white turbans were worn by other Muslims.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.