Sharbush

The ''Sharbush'' or ''Harbush,'' Sarposh, Serpush (, , ) probably derived from Persian word Serpush, which means "headdress". was a special Turkic military furred hat, worn in Central Asia and the Middle East in the Middle Ages. It appears prominently in the miniatures depicting Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (ruled 1234–1259). It was a stiff cap of the military class, with a triangular front which was sometimes addorned with a metal plaque. It was sometimes supplemented with a small ''kerchief'' which formed a small turban, named ''takhfifa''. The wearing of the ''Sharbūsh'' was one of the key graphical and sartorial elements to differentiate Turkic figures from Arab ones in medieval Middle-Eastern miniatures.

The ''Sharbush'' could vary in size and shape, sometimes taking huge proportions, as in the depiction of the emir in the frontispiece of the 1237 ''Maqamat of al-Hariri''. The shape of the ''sharbush'' seems to have varied depending on geographical regions:
* The ''sharbush'' of Artuqid manuscripts (example) has a very tall cap behind the headplate and the usage of fur around the rim is limited;
* The Seljuk ''sharbush'' as seen on Persian ceramics, or on objects from Mosul such as the Blacas ewer, or in Jazira and Syria manuscripts had a much lower cap, almost hidden behind the band of fur surrounding the head and the frontal plate;
* The frontispiece of the Baghdad Schefer ''Maqamat'' shows another ''sharbush'', consisting of a tall mass of fur, hiding the cap from view.

The ''sharbush'' headgear was a rallying sign for Saladin, and he wore it on his Mayyafariqin coinage. When Henry II, Count of Champagne, king of Jerusalem, tried to build a friendly relationship with Saladin, he requested the gift of a '' qabā'' robe and a ''sharbūsh'' hat, which he wore in Acre.

The Sharbush was also a symbol of investitute under the Egyptian Mamluks, as it was part of the khil'a given to an amir on the occasion of his accession. The ''sharbush'' was worn by high-ranking officers of the Ayyubid and Bahri Mamluk period.

In Mamluk Egypt, the wearing of the ''Sharbush'' was banned in 1382.

File:Maqamat al-Hariri 1237, Turkic Emir portrait.jpg, Right frontispiece: ruler in Turkic dress (long braids, large ''Sharbush'' fur hat, boots, fitting coat), in the ''Maqamat of al-Hariri'', 1237 CE, probably Baghdad.
File:Turkic guard in Preaching scene at Rayy in maqāma 21 (fols. 58v–59r, douvle-page spread as a unit), Maqamat al-Harari 1237.jpg, Turkic amir with guards, wearing the Turkic headgear ''Sharbush'', in the preaching scene at Rayy in maqāma 21 (fols. 58v–59r), ''Maqamat of al-Hariri'', 1237.
File:Warrior with the Plant Kestron, De Materia Medica of Dioscorides, Iraq 1224. Harvard Art Museums.jpg, Warrior in Turkic attire, wearing the Turkic headgear ''sharbush'', ''De Materia Medica'' of Dioscorides, Iraq, 1224. Harvard Art Museums.
File:Artuqid sharbush, 1206 (Ms. Ahmet III 3472).jpg, Artuqid sharbush, 1206 ( Ms. Ahmet III 3472)
File:Meister des Buches der Lieder 002.jpg, ''Sharbush'' of Badr al-Din Lu'lu' (''Kitab al-Aghani'', 1219 CE)
File:Maqamat Arabe 3929, Abu Zaid before the Cadi (sharbush detail) 157r.jpg, ''Maqamat al-Hariri '' (BNF Arabe 3929, circa 1200-1210), Turkic ruler detail wearing the ''sharbūsh'' with the tall cap
File:Maqamat 6094, folio 133v (detail).jpg, ''Maqamat al-Hariri '' (BNF Arabe 6094), Jazira region, 1222
File:Armenian manuscript (1211).jpg, ''Sharbush'' in an Armenian manuscript, Haghbat Gospels, 1211.
File:Al-Nasir I Salah al-Din Yusuf (Saladin). AH 564-589 (1169-1193 CE) Æ Dirham (30.1mm, 13.28 g, 6h). Without mint-name. Dated AH 586 (AD 1190-91). Sultan sitting facing, cross-legged, on high-backed throne (obverse).jpg, Dirham in the name of Saladin, wearing the ''Sharbush''. Legend: "The Victorious King, Righteousness of the World and the Faith, Yusuf ibn Ayyub". Probable Mayyafariqin mint, dated 1190-1191.
File:Donor figure wearing sharbush, qaba and tiraz. Church of the Archangels, Zemo-Krikhi, Racha, northern Georgia, Inv. No. 03086-75.jpg, Donor figure wearing ''sharbush'', '' qaba'' and ''tiraz''. Church of the Archangels, Zemo-Krikhi, Racha, northern Georgia. 11th century, Inv. No. 03086-75.
File:Ivane and Zakare, Harichavank.jpg, Armenian Princes Ivane and Zakare, 1201

See also

* Saraquj
* List of hat styles

References

Works cited

*

{{Islamic manuscripts

Middle Eastern clothing
History of Asian clothing
Turkish clothing