During the reign of the Sultan Mahmud Khan
II (1808-39), a European code of dress gradually replaced the traditional
robes worn by members of the Ottoman court. The change in costume was soon
emulated by the public and senior civil servants, followed by the members
of the ruling intelligentsia and the emancipated classes throughout the
Ottoman Empire. While European style coats and trousers were gradually
adopted, this change did not extend to headwear. Peaked or broad brimmed
headdresses such as the top hat did not meet the Islamic requirement that
men should press their heads to the ground when praying. Accordingly the
Sultan issued a firman (royal decree) that the checheya headgear in a
modified form would become part of the formal attire of the Turkish Empire
irrespective of his subjects' religious sects or milets.
The checheya had many names and shapes. In Istanbul it was called a fez,
fezzi, or "phecy" while the modern Egyptian version was called a tarboosh,
deriving from the Persian words 'sar' meaning head and 'poosh' meaning
cover. It was basically a brimless, cone-shaped, flat-topped hat made of
felt. Originating in Fez, Morocco, the earliest variety was in the form of
a bonnet with a long turban wound around it which could be white, red or
black. When it was adopted in Istanbul the bonnet was modified. At first
it was rounded, then, some time later, lengthened and subsequently
shortened. At some point the turban was eliminated and the color of the
checheya stuck to red. The fez gets its distinctive red hue from a dye
collected from the bright red berries of the Turkish kizziljiek (Cornus
mas) - a cousin to the common American dogwood |
