The Pahlavi hat ( fa, کلاه پهلوی) was an item of headgear for men introduced in the
Imperial State of Iran
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imperial, Nebraska
* Imperial, Pennsylvania
* Imperial, T ...
by
Reza Shah
,
, spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort) Turan Amirsoleimani Esmat Dowlatshahi
, issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess Shams Mohammad Reza Shah Princess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza P ...
.
The introduction of the hat, in August 1927, was part of Reza Shah's drive to
westernize and modernize Iran, which included introducing European-style clothing.
[Chehabi, H. E. ''Staging the Emperor's New Clothes: Dress-Codes and Nation-Building under Reza Shah'', Iranian Studies, v.26, 3-4 ] The hat (to be worn with a European-style coat and trousers) was cylindrical with a peak, being based on the
French military
kepi
The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...
, and was available in black or
beige
Beige is variously described as a pale sandy fawn color, a grayish tan, a light-grayish yellowish brown, or a pale to grayish yellow. It takes its name from French, where the word originally meant natural wool that has been neither bleached nor ...
. The hat's peak, by obstructing the touching of the forehead to the ground during prayer, was seen as an attempt to reduce the influence of religious ritual in Iranian society (although unlike brimmed European hats it could be turned around for prayer), while its introduction across the whole of society served to efface distinctions in dress amongst different ethnic groups (the
Armenians
Armenians ( hy, հայեր, '' hayer'' ) are an ethnic group native to the Armenian highlands of Western Asia. Armenians constitute the main population of Armenia and the ''de facto'' independent Artsakh. There is a wide-ranging diasp ...
in particular objected to being made to wear it).
Although widely adopted in cities, the Pahlavi hat was initially perceived as 'foreign' and proved deeply unpopular.
In April 1930, the Ruler of the
Trucial State of
Dubai
Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...
,
Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum, notified Persian residents of the emirate that they should not wear the Pahlavi hat and that 'those who wish to wear it should return to Persia.'
[Summary of the News from the Arab States for the Month of April 1930. Page 3. IOR/L/PS/10/1777 at British Library.]
Despite this, the Pahlavi hat had become widespread by the 1930s.
At the Tenth
Majlis in June 1935, it was announced that the Pahlavi hat would be replaced by the
fedora, a conventional European-style hat. This, along with other innovations introduced by Reza Shah's government, provoked mass demonstrations in July in the city of
Mashhad, which were suppressed by the army, resulting in many deaths.
[Majd, M. ''Great Britain & Reza Shah: the plunder of Iran, 1921-1941'', University Press of Florida, 2001, p.213]
See also
*
Fez
Fez most often refers to:
* Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire
* Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco
Fez or FEZ may also refer to:
Media
* ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...
References
{{Historical clothing
Iranian clothing
Hats
Pahlavi Iran