A peshtemal (also spelled peshtamal, pestamal, pestmal, or pestema ; from Persian~ Fa puştmāl back towel § Fa ''puşt'' back + Fa ''māl'' cleaning) is a traditional

towel A towel () is a piece of absorption (chemistry), absorbent cloth or paper used for drying or wiping a surface. Towels draw moisture through direct contact. Bathing towels and hand towels are usually made of cotton, linen, bamboo and Microfiber, ...

used in baths. A staple of Persia, with a strong influence on Ottoman culture, dating back hundreds of years, the pestemal was originally designed to help individual bathers maintain their privacy. In addition to being highly absorbent, pestemals dry faster than thicker towels. Traditionally, Persian has a red color with simple designs or shapes with black or white lines, but other colors and patterns are also common. It is also used to indicate which region people are from. There are many kinds of peshtemal, with different styles and colors in different areas of

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

and

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The peshtemal absorbs water as fast as a terrycloth towel, dries more quickly, takes up less space, is easy to carry and is therefore used as an alternative in bathrooms, pools, spas, beaches, sports facilities, and for baby care. The peshtemal fabric is made of 100% cotton produced on manually operated looms in modern Turkey, historically in Antioch.

References

{{expand Turkish, topic=cult, Peştamal, date=February 2021 Culture of Turkey Persian words and phrases Woven fabrics Bathing Personal hygiene products

See also

References