The Red Kaganate

Last Page Update: September 28, 2001 Contact Copyright Information Main Page Structure of the Red Kaganate Gatherings, Events,... Historic Steppes Tribes Legends of the Nomads Flags and other Identifiers Clothing and Apearance Food and related Matters Armour Archery Weapons and Combat Public Forum Resource Links Email: kaganate@yahoo.com Editor: Norman J. Finkelshteyn 13th Century Headgear By Steven Baker My area of interest here is the Turcoman incursions into the heart of Islam, with the main focus on steppe nomads serving as ghulams in 13th Century Islamic lands just prior to the Mongol invasion. In particular I am looking at the Artuqid's which ruled the province of Diyarbakir in northern Iraq (now in southeastern Turkey) through two branches: at Hisn Kayfa and Amid (1098-1232) and at Mardin and Mayyafariqin (1104-1408). Where I have fleshed out the materials, I have tried to ensure that what I do use is within the 13th century and close to the Artuqid region. The hats that I have found so far have followed a fairly standard pattern. According to L.A.Mayer these hats were called Sharbush by the people of the period. The hats consist of a high crowned cap with either fur trim along the bottom (figures 1,2 and 4) or include a peak which is also fur trimmed (figures 3 and 5). Exactly what the hats are made of is hard to determine. They could be made of leather as two finds from the Jaziran would suggest. Alternatively they could be like Mamluk turban caps. That is made of heavily quilted fabric and batting. At the moment I tend towards the former rather than the latter. Images of hats from al-Hariri's Maqamat and al-Jazari's Automata The only reference I have to actual archaeological finds that correspond to this style of hat is in David Nicolle's book - Arms and Armour of the Crusading Era. The description for the major find is "-- it is a hardened leather hat or helmet, originally covered by a layer of red- and black-lacquered decoration". The other find is a partial piece of the same nature which has a lining of wooden blocks glued to the inside. Radiocarbon dating of the finds indicates they were made from materials that date to around 1285. The construction details of both of these finds would suggest that either the Sharbush was both headwear and helmet or that a basic helm has been made of hardened leather and wooden blocks to look like a normal Sharbush. I tend towards the latter but still feel that the Sharbush is made of either hardened leather or more likely from fairly stiff leather. I have included my interpretations of the line drawings of these items. Line drawings unfortunately may be all we know of these finds since they are in a private collection and fuller details have yet to be published. Outline of hat find. Wooden block inside fragment. The following is a slightly different form of hat. The image is from a bowl found in Kashan, Iran. It is dated 1187AD (Muharram 583AH). (The image is from a photo I took in the LACMA). It shows two large flaps on the sides of the hat which may have folded down to protect the face during inclement weather. The crown of the hat is soft but may have a rigid centre seam. This is a version of the information on hats presented at Steven Baker's Steppes Nomad Resource Site - http://www.oocities.org/qilich.