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The sarpech (/, from
In
The sarpech (/, from Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
), also known as an aigrette
The term aigrette (; from the French for egret, or ''lesser white heron'') refers to the tufted crest or head-plumes of the egret, used for adorning a headdress. The word may also identify any similar ornament, in gems.
History and description ...
, is a turban ornament that was worn by significant Hindu, Sikh and Muslim princes. ''Sar'' means "head" or "front" and ''pech'' means "screw", giving the word ''"sarpech"'' the literal meaning "that which is screwed onto the front (of the turban)". The ''sarpech'' was also worn in Persia
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 ...
, where it was known as ''jikka'' or ''jiqa'' (), meaning "crest" or "tuft", and in 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 ...
, where it was known as the ''sorguch'', a name considered a corrupt form of the Persian word .
In India, dominantly two kinds of turban ornaments exist: the ''sarpech'' and the Kalgi (ornament).
Origin and etymology
In India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, various types of Sarpech are found depending on their time of production. Those produced in the 16th and 17th centuries resembled a plume and were worn on the right side of the turban. Their material depended on the occasion. The original 16th-century Sarpech was a single unit; then, in the 18th century, two side units were added. With the 19th century, emphasis on elaborate jewelry increased and there were Sarpech big enough to cover half the turban.
Structure
This is a general description of the Sarpech. The basic structure of agold
Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...
Indian Sarpech is flat (''hamwar''). It is a single sheet of metal with gemstones set in its hollow construction. Designs are usually symmetrical (''ba-qarina'') and gemstones are set (''jadau'') on the front (''rukh''). The backside is exquisitely enameled too but remains hidden from the viewer. ''Sarpeches'' with one upward rising unit are known as ''ek kalangi'' while those with three projections are called ''tin kalangi''. Most Sarpech patterns are floral in nature and seem to have borrowed from the existing textile vocabulary in Mughal India
The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...
.
See also
* ChelengkReferences
{{hats Turbans Jewellery of India Mughal art Islamic metal art