Clogs have traditionally been used in Turkish

bath house Public baths originated when most people in population centers did not have access to private bathing facilities. Though termed "public", they have often been restricted according to gender, religious affiliation, personal membership, and other cr ...

s to protect the foot from dirty water and soap. The earlier form were called "nalins" and originated during the Ottoman period. Nalins came to be artistic objects which indicated the wearer's social standing. As domestic baths became more common the rituals of the bath house declined and nalins were replaced with the simpler "takunya". Takunya are also worn outside of the bath house. Since 1960 takunya have in their turn been replaced by plastic slippers which are lighter and quieter.

Nalin

A nalin was based on a wooden sole supported on wooden plates under the heel and ball of the foot and carved from a single piece. A strap secured the nalin to the foot. The base was carved from a hardwood such as plane, box, ebony, walnut or sandalwood. The base was then embellished with precious metals or inlaid with mother-of-pearl or tortoise shell. The strap was of leather or fabric with jewels and embroidery. In 1898 a price of five guineas (£5.5s or £5.25 ) was quoted in

Notes and Queries ''Notes and Queries'', also styled ''Notes & Queries'', is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to "English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism".From the inner ...

for a pair of Nalins. The description of them was (in metric units the quoted dimensions are long and high): The height of the plates and the quality of the embellishments was determined by the status of the wearer. The height varied from to .

Enderûnlu Fâzıl Enderûnlu Fâzıl (1757–1810) was an Ottoman poet who depicted the beauty of men from various lands of the Ottoman Empire. He achieved fame through his erotic works, which were published posthumously. Among his most famous works is ''The Book ...

's 18th century painting of a bathhouse shows one finely dressed woman with very high nalins whilst the majority of subjects have much lower footwear. Nalin were often part of a woman's dowry. Babies were sometimes given miniature versions as gifts. Although mostly associated with hammans or bath houses, they were also worn in stone houses, konaks and palaces. Turkish nalins are claimed to have influences Venetian chopines which were similarly tall clogs.

Takunya

Takunya have a lower sole with no plates, the heel is raised on a solid block giving a clear instep. Generally they are made from Oriental Hornbeam. Like the nalin a strap passes over the foot to secure it. The soles have a profile similar to a

Träskor Träskor are Swedish clogs typically made from alder, but sometimes birch or pine. Clogs are mainly manufactured in the southern part of the country, both as handicrafts and in factories. In 1905 there were 22 factories employing 241 people. On ...

or an English clog, but with a simple fabric strap over the front of the foot. They are produced by machine and then the treads from used tyres are nailed to the bottom of the sole.

Gallery

File:Turkish shoes02.jpg, Mother-of-pearl inlaid nalin File:Turkish bath house sandals (nalins), Ottoman Turkey, 19th century - Bata Shoe Museum - DSC00100.JPG, Silver covered nalin on display at the

Bata Shoe Museum The Bata Shoe Museum (BSM) is a museum of footwear and calceology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The museum's building is situated near the northwest of the University of Toronto's St. George campus, in downtown Toronto. The museum building was d ...

, Canada File:Turkish shoes05.jpg, lower status nalin in copper showing the rounded heel displayed in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum, Istanbul

Nalin

Takunya

Gallery

Footnotes

References

Citations

External links