The fabulous Fez from Fowa!!

The remains of the once impressive and, at the time, one-of-a-kind Fez factory can be seen in the town of Fowa.  The construction of the original factory was ordered by Mohmmad Ali Bashr and built by Mohammed Maghreb in 1824. This small, red truncated cone hat, with its black tassel has had a remarkably turbulent history, and is rather an iconic hat, if ever there was one!

THE FEZ (or TARBOOSH)

The traditional Fez hat is usually made of felt (wool) and is of a striking merlot/red colour with a black tassel. Where it first originated is under dispute, but it appears to have been either in Greece or the Balkans, though many assume it was in Morocco. But it rose to fame in the Ottoman era in 1826.

DURING OTTOMAN TIMES

In 1826, Sultan Mahmud II made sweeping reforms over his lands, and one of those was to update the military uniform. He banned the wearing of the cherished turbans, and substituted it with the compulsory fez. His civil officials were then ordered to wear the plain fez. People were gradually coerced into accepting the fez as a symbol of modernity and oriental cultural identity: a new national hat!

The result was a sudden and huge demand for the production of these fez hats. The factory in Fowa was initially vital for production, then gradually production centres were established in Constantinople and the Czech Republic, who continued to produce in an almost near monopoly of the market until 1908, when there was a 1 year Fez Boycott and the fabulous fez saw the end of its universality.

IN TURKEY

In Turkey the Fez was widely worn until the 1920’s, Kamal Turk decided that his new Republic needed to follow European trends and stay up to date. On the 30th August, 1923, he banned the Fez, and forcefully introduced various European options of headgear: bowler hats, fedoras, panama hats.

MILITARY USE

• 1840s – 1910 a red Fez with a blue tassel was used in the Turkish army.
• late 19th Century, all locally recruited “native soldiers” of the Colonial armies adopted the Fez as their distinctive headdress. They wore them at different angles or placement of the tassels differently to denote which regiment they were from.
• The Egyptian army wore the classic Turkish model Fez until 1950

But although they were colourful and picturesque, for military use they were quite impractical: no protection from the sun, and a rather visible target.

USE TODAY

The Fez is still in use:

Cyprus, Peci (Indonesia), Songkok (Malaysia) and in North Africa in their hotel industry: bellhops, porters, and by some sects.

However it is a symbol infused with a long and complicated history, and for many Muslims today, the Fez hat is still a symbol of the oppressors and as such it might be considered politically incorrect to wear them.

But for those of you who would like to have one, you can easily buy them on-line, ranging from $4 (used) up to $65 (hand-made velvet)!