Kurkhars () is the traditional female headdress of the

Ingush Ingush may refer to: * Ingush language, Northeast Caucasian language * Ingush people, an ethnic group of the North Caucasus See also *Ingushetia (disambiguation) Ingushetia is a federal republic and subject of Russia. Ingushetia may also refer ...

. Its male counterpart is the

Bashlyk A bashlyk, also spelled bashlik, is a traditional Turkic, Caucasian, Iranian, and Cossack cone-shaped hooded headdress, usually of leather, felt or wool, featuring a round topped bonnet with lappets for wrapping around the neck. Local versio ...

. It was traditionally weekend clothing of the Ingush, worn during the holidays and for "going out". They are usually made of red felt or dense cloth and were originally made out of tanned and dyed bull scrotum. They are high caps in the form of a ridge with a forward curve and forked end. First mentioned in a 17th-century article list of Russian ambassadors describing their route through the Ingush lands to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, researchers consider Kurkhars, like the Bashlyk, in historical and cultural relationship with the ancient headdress of the

Scythians The Scythians ( or ) or Scyths (, but note Scytho- () in composition) and sometimes also referred to as the Pontic Scythians, were an Ancient Iranian peoples, ancient Eastern Iranian languages, Eastern Iranian peoples, Iranian Eurasian noma ...

and

Phrygians The Phrygians (Greek: Φρύγες, ''Phruges'' or ''Phryges'') were an ancient Indo-European speaking people who inhabited central-western Anatolia (modern-day Turkey) in antiquity. Ancient Greek authors used "Phrygian" as an umbrella term t ...

, via the so-called "

Phrygian cap The Phrygian cap ( ), also known as Thracian cap and liberty cap, is a soft Pointed hat, conical Hat, cap with the apex bent over, associated in Classical antiquity, antiquity with several peoples in Eastern Europe, Anatolia, and Asia. The Phry ...

", which was also most notably worn by the

Persians Persians ( ), or the Persian people (), are an Iranian ethnic group from West Asia that came from an earlier group called the Proto-Iranians, which likely split from the Indo-Iranians in 1800 BCE from either Afghanistan or Central Asia. They ...

Thracians The Thracians (; ; ) were an Indo-European languages, Indo-European speaking people who inhabited large parts of Southeast Europe in ancient history.. "The Thracians were an Indo-European people who occupied the area that today is shared betwee ...

and

Dacians The Dacians (; ; ) were the ancient Indo-European inhabitants of the cultural region of Dacia, located in the area near the Carpathian Mountains and west of the Black Sea. They are often considered a subgroup of the Thracians. This area include ...

Archaeology

A large collection of "kurkharses" were collected by archaeologists from a tower-shaped two-story crypt of the late Middle Ages in the village of Päling. The finds amazed scientists not only with their abundance, but also with their rich decoration, which used both local materials and very expensive imported fabrics (silk, semi-silk, satin, velvet, and brocade) of Iranian, Chinese, Egyptian, Syrian, Russian production. A kurkhars was made using gold and silver embroidery and using various materials: felt, leather, beads, beads, shells, and silver plaques. Techniques were also distinguished by originality and special elegance. In 2022, due to natural causes, one of the walls of the crypt of the tower complex

Tsori Tsori (, ) a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Dzheyrakhsky District of Ingushetia. It is part of the . Tsori is the ancestral settlement of Ingush clan (''teip'') of Tsoroy () and the historical center of Tsorin society. Name The toponym ...

in mountainous Ingushetia collapsed, where, among many valuable finds, archaeologists discovered 11 kurkharses in varying degrees of preservation.

References

Sources

* * * * * Ingush people Headgear {{Ingushetia-geo-stub