# What is the straight dope on turbans? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 2, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040 "2015-07-02T13:28:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/1 "2015-07-02T13:28:29Z")
Are turbans just a fashion accessory, religious headgear, a cultural thing (like the dot some indian women wear on their foreheads), or some combination of the above? I’ve seen many people wearing them here in the US (where it marks you as different and foreign), so I think it’s more than just a personal affectation. Obviously, these are (Whatever)-Americans wearing them, rather than natives\* (which would just be weird, and fair game for a grilling about it). \*by native, I mean fully acculturated and having parents, at least, that were born and raised here. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/2 "2015-07-02T13:43:10Z")
Turbans in the present time are worn predominantly by Sikhs. Part of the Sikh religion, which is sort of a warrior religion, is to wear the five K’s - kesh - long hair kada - steel bracelet kirpan - ceremonial knife kanga- wooden comb kacha- special underwear This page has more on it: > **[The Five Ks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Five_Ks)** > > In Sikhism, the Five Ks (Punjabi: ਪੰਜ ਕਕਾਰ Pañj Kakār) are five items that Guru Gobind Singh Ji, in 1699, commanded Khalsa Sikhs to wear at all times. They are: kesh (unshorn hair and beard since the Sikh decided to keep it), kangha (a comb for the kesh, usually wooden), kara (a bracelet, usually made of iron or steel), kachera (an undergarment), and kirpan (a small curved sword of any size, shape or metal). > The Five Ks are not just symbols, but articles of faith that collectively form the exter... The turban is just a convenient handy way to keep the hair neat and clean. Now interestingly, time was all respectable men wore turbans. My grandfather did not, but his father and grandfather probably did. And to remove a man’s turban forcefully is considered great dishonor. There are of course Sikhs that cut their hair. We have a special term for them. Where I was growing up it wasn’t a big deal but it can be a big deal. Please note that in answer to your followup, Sikhs can most certainly be as “native” as anyone here. Even Sikhs born here sometimes take on the trappings of their religion. That doesn’t make them any less American. Also you can convert to Sikhism, so non Indians could also be wearing the turban. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/3 "2015-07-02T14:23:15Z")
Some Arab and North African cultures also wear turbans, but of a different type to Sikh _dastar_. There are also other Indian ethnic and religious groups that wear them, like the [pheta](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n3W0qpkjkK0/U3JX4SJZhoI/AAAAAAAAAEY/vFVFieDCq3g/s1600/Ramesh+Pheta_hasra.jpg), worn in Maharastra (at least historically and on special occasions.) > [@](#): > > Please note that in answer to your followup, Sikhs can most certainly be as “native” as anyone here. Even Sikhs born here sometimes take on the trappings of their religion. That doesn’t make them any less American. Also you can convert to Sikhism, so non Indians could also be wearing the turban. This. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/4 "2015-07-02T16:08:05Z")
The above responses seem to ignore the turbans commonly work by Muslims, especially prominent Muslims. Is the Muslim head covering (or some of them anyway) also properly called a “turban”? Or is a proper turban distinctly not that? As far as male Muslims keeping their heads covered, I’ve always assumed the tradition has descended from the Jewish tradition of keeping the head covered. Is this correct? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/5 "2015-07-02T16:11:12Z")
I was referring to them when I mentioned “some Arab cultures,” though I don’t think a _keffiyeh_ or _guthra_ strictly meets the definition of a turban. As far as I know, turbans are not generally worn by Muslims outside N. Africa, the Arab states and South Asia. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/6 "2015-07-02T16:11:58Z")
I don’t know as much about turbans on Muslims. It seems to be more like a cultural artifact there, and a class/status symbol. But the men who wear turbans in the States seem to be mostly Sikhs. Modesty - for both men and women, not just women - is covered in the Q’uran, IIRC (it’s been ages and ages since I read it). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/7 "2015-07-02T16:34:31Z")
I assume you mean primarily Sikhs and other cultures originally outside of the US. Otherwise, there are women who wear turbans as a fashion accessory. I don’t know if it’s that common now but it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/8 "2015-07-02T17:28:46Z")
> [@dstarfire](#): > > Are turbans just a fashion accessory, religious headgear, a cultural thing (like the dot some indian women wear on their foreheads), or some combination of the above? Yes. Turbans are worn by many cultures ( including historically a few eccentric westerners ) and there is no rhyme or reason to it across them. Sikhs for example were mentioned above as a faith where wearing a turban is a religious requirements. In _some_ Muslim cultures certain turban colors had social meaning - for example _sayyids_ ( claimed descendants of Muhammad, of which there are approximately eleventy billion ) in the old Ottoman state wore **green** turbans, in modern Twelver Shi’a societies they wear **black** turbans. In other places ( including other Muslim societies ), such colors mean nothing other than sartorial choice. There are no universal rules or meanings. You have to drill down everywhere you go where people wear them to find different ones. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/9 "2015-07-02T17:43:44Z")
> [@](#): > > The Sikh religion requires men to wear turbans and beards and keep their hair unshorn. To Sikhs, cutting one’s hair is as serious an offense as adultery. [http://www.stripes.com/news/sikh-doctor-gets-army-ok-keep-turban-beard-1.95877](http://www.stripes.com/news/sikh-doctor-gets-army-ok-keep-turban-beard-1.95877) ---
**Author:** ![FeAudrey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7feea3/32.png) [@FeAudrey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FeAudrey)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/10 "2015-07-02T22:21:39Z")
Women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment sometimes wear turban-like head wraps – lots of sites out there describe different styles. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/11 "2015-07-02T23:37:13Z")
TriPolar writes: \> . . . Sikhs and other cultures originally outside of the US . . . All cultures except for Native American/American Indian ones originated outside the U.S. (unless you’re going to define as a culture a modern fashion statement). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/12 "2015-07-03T00:21:54Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > TriPolar writes: > > \> . . . Sikhs and other cultures originally outside of the US . . . > > All cultures except for Native American/American Indian ones originated outside the U.S. (unless you’re going to define as a culture a modern fashion statement). Native American cultures originated long before there was a United States. I admit it’s inartful wording, but I don’t think my meaning was lost. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/13 "2015-07-03T00:32:33Z")
Turbans or pagris were originally worn as a practical form of headgear, to protect the head from the sun. It could also be unwrapped for other uses, like tying a bundle. Working people in India still use it for practical purposes, like bearers (porters). The Sikh turban is distinctive in its appearance and usually is of a limited number of solid colors. You can always tell s Sikh turban from any other kind of turban. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/14 "2015-07-03T00:38:12Z")
In the 1930s-50s, turbans faded in & out as hats, for women. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/15 "2015-07-03T01:18:11Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Please note that in answer to your followup, Sikhs can most certainly be as “native” as anyone here. Even Sikhs born here sometimes take on the trappings of their religion. That doesn’t make them any less American. Also you can convert to Sikhism, so non Indians could also be wearing the turban. While I was a student at Defense Language Institute, there was a US Army Staff Sergeant studying there also. He was a caucasian convert to Sikhism and wore the turban, beard, and the other Ks, even when in uniform. This was in the mid-1980s. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/16 "2015-07-03T02:52:46Z")
Some ethnic groups in the Sahara and the Sahel will wear turbans and turban-like garments, some of which denote status or rank. A head covering is practical in that climate, and a head wrap is more practical than a simple hat-- it can cover the mouth to protect from dust or shield the eyes if warrented. Veils serve the same purpose for women. High-quality cloth can also be quite expensive, and a turban is a handy way to show off extravagant quantities of it. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/17 "2015-07-03T04:17:39Z")
The portrayal of Caliphs and one of the wise men, etc. seem to show them with very Sikh-style bulbous turbans. The ayatollahs or some other clerics seem to wear a more Muslim-looking turban - it looks like the headpiece for an Easter Island statue rather than the traditional/Sikh dome or inverted onion look. The style of wrap too is different - the Sikh-looking turban tends to be interleaved at the front, wrapped alternatingly deeper on one side of the head then the other; the Muslim look seems to be just one continuous circular wrap. You see a more rough version of the circular wrap in pictures of Taliban and other country people - is this a more an indicator of “country roots”? Is an imam wearing that big flat wrap turban sort of like city slicker dudes wearing cowboy hats to look like they belong out in the countryside? (Google image for “Ayatollah”) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/18 "2015-07-03T07:29:20Z")
> [@md2000](#): > > The portrayal of Caliphs and one of the wise men, etc. seem to show them with very Sikh-style bulbous turbans. > > The ayatollahs or some other clerics seem to wear a more Muslim-looking turban - it looks like the headpiece for an Easter Island statue rather than the traditional/Sikh dome or inverted onion look. The “bulbous” or “inverted onion” style you see in depictions of middle easterners is still very visually distinct from a Sikh turban. Nothing worn in the Middle East looks like a Sikg turban. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/19 "2015-07-03T16:01:39Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > While I was a student at Defense Language Institute, there was a US Army Staff Sergeant studying there also. He was a caucasian convert to Sikhism and wore the turban, beard, and the other Ks, even when in uniform. This was in the mid-1980s. It almost sounds like a _Seinfeld_ episode: he converted to Sikhism just so he could wear a beard in the army. Actually, I never saw a Sikh during my time; how do they handle headgear? ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040/20 "2015-07-03T16:06:07Z")
The Book of Knowledge: [Sikhs in the United States military](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikhs_in_the_United_States_military) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-straight-dope-on-turbans/724040.md?page=2)