An arakhchi ( hy, արախչի, arakhchi, is a traditional

Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...

nAvakyan N. H. Armenian folk clothes (19th - early XX centuries). Yerevan hat that was also worn by the Azeri Turks, made from specially woven silks, that is the most persistent of traditional garments, sometimes worn over a low (6 cm) flat topped skullcap (araqčın), almost covered with gold embroidery, or alternatively a small bonnet (täsäk). flat top skull cap headdress, worn by both men and women in the past. Arakhchis could be sewn of various textiles, such as tirma

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

and

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...

. However, only one single-colour textile per arakhchi was used. The textile was made into a round shape fitting the head and then decorated with

embroidery Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen ...

lace Lace is a delicate fabric made of yarn or thread in an open weblike pattern, made by machine or by hand. Generally, lace is divided into two main categories, needlelace and bobbin lace, although there are other types of lace, such as knitted o ...

beads A bead is a small, decorative object that is formed in a variety of shapes and sizes of a material such as stone, bone, shell, glass, plastic, wood, or pearl and with a small hole for threading or stringing. Beads range in size from under ...

and even pieces of gold. Men's arakhchis were relatively plain, especially those used for religious purposes. In

Western Armenia Western Armenia (Western Armenian: Արեւմտեան Հայաստան, ''Arevmdian Hayasdan'') is a term to refer to the eastern parts of Turkey (formerly the Ottoman Empire) that are part of the historical homeland of the Armenians. Weste ...

, men, especially freedom fighters, wore a red arakhchi draped with a bandana with tinsel as their native headgear to identify themselves. The Armenian arakhchi was a truncated skull cap, knitted from wool or embroidered with multicolored woolen thread and a predominance of red. The way this traditional headdress was worn was a marker of its owner's marital condition, just as in Eastern Armenia, the right to wear an arakhchi belonged to a married man. Even though the arakhchi was traditionally a man's hat, Armenian women wore this headress as well; especially in

Muş Muş (; hy, Մուշ; ku, Mûş) is a city and the provincial capital of Muş Province in Turkey. Its population is mostly Kurds. Etymology Various explanations of the origin of Muş's name exist. Its name is sometimes associated with the Arm ...

where Armenian singer Armenouhi Kevonian was known for her colorful arakhchi at her concerts. Tjohk Grayr

An arakhchi could be worn alone or under other headdresses, such as papakhi, a

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promin ...

or a

kalaghai Kelaghayi ( az, Kəlağayı), also known as "chārqad" ( from Persian چارقد), is a traditional Azerbaijani women's headgear. It is a square-shaped silk head scarf with special prints on it. In November 2014 at the 9th session of UNESCO's ...

. Women's arakhchis worn as early as the sixteenth century often lacked a special sack intended for braids. By the eighteenth century, it was already one of the most widespread headgears. Women used hairpins to secure their veils on the arakhchin.Leyla Mustafayeva. ''Women's Headgears in the Nineteenth Century''. Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts. 2011 Arakhchins generally went out of use in the early twentieth century, with the mass adoption of European-style dress in Armenia and in what is know considered the Republic of Azerbaijan.

References

External links

Araxçın
Headgear Azerbaijani clothing Azerbaijani words and phrases Armenian clothing {{clothing-stub az:Araxçın ru:Арахчын