![Russian school - A Caucasian in a papakha with a saddle beside him](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/Russian_school_-_A_Caucasian_in_a_papakha_with_a_saddle_beside_him.jpg)
Papakha (; , ; ; ce, холхазан-куй, holhazan-kuy; , ; ) is a wool hat worn by men throughout the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of
Turkic origin (''papakh)''.
Styles
There are two different
Caucasian papakhas. One, called a ''papaha'', is a high fur hat, usually made of
karakul sheep
Karakul or Qaraqul (named after Qorakoʻl, a city in Bukhara Region in Uzbekistan) is a breed of domestic sheep which originated in Central Asia. Some archaeological evidence points to Karakul sheep being raised there continuously since 1400 BC ...
skin. The hat has the general appearance of a cylinder with one open end and is set upon the head in such a way as to have the brim touch the temples. Some examples have ear-flaps which can be folded up when not in use. The other style is called a ''kubanka'', and is similar to the papaha, but shorter and without ear-flaps.
Prevalence
Papaqs are very important to mountainous peoples’ of the Caucasus, where a man's hat is considered a very important part of his identity. Papakhi are donned by the
Circassians
The Circassians (also referred to as Cherkess or Adyghe; Adyghe and Kabardian: Адыгэхэр, romanized: ''Adıgəxər'') are an indigenous Northwest Caucasian ethnic group and nation native to the historical country-region of Circassia ...
,
Chechens
The Chechens (; ce, Нохчий, , Old Chechen: Нахчой, ''Naxçoy''), historically also known as ''Kisti'' and ''Durdzuks'', are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group of the Nakh peoples native to the North Caucasus in Eastern Europe. "Eu ...
,
Dagestanis, Ingush and other Caucasian tribes. Papakhas are also donned in Georgia mostly worn in mountainous regions of
Pshavi
Pshavi ( ka, ფშავი) is a small historic region of northern Georgia, nowadays part of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti ''mkhare'' ("region"), and lying chiefly among the southern foothills of the Greater Caucasus mountains along the Pshavis Aragvi ...
,
Khevi
Khevi ( ka, ხევი) is a small historical-geographic area in northeastern Georgia. It is included in the modern-day Kazbegi district, Mtskheta-Mtianeti region (mkhare). Located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus mountains, it c ...
,
Mtiuleti
Mtiuleti ( ka, მთიულეთი; literally, "the land of mountains") is a historical province in eastern Georgia, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains. It primarily comprises the White Aragvi Valley, and is bordered by ...
, and
Tusheti
Tusheti ( ka, თუშეთი) is a historic region in northeast Georgia.
Geography
Located on the northern slopes of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, Tusheti is bordered by the Russian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan to the north and eas ...
. In 1855, after the campaigns in the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
, the Papakha was introduced in the
Russian army
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска ВSukhoputnyye voyska V}), also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Ground Force ...
as an official part of the uniform for the
Cossacks, and later for the rest of the cavalry. Papaq is also very common in
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
,
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ' ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
,
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
, as well as among the
Uyghurs
The Uyghurs; ; ; ; zh, s=, t=, p=Wéiwú'ěr, IPA: ( ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, Uygurs or Uigurs, are a Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of Central and East Asia. The Uyghur ...
.
Russian and Soviet army uniforms
Shortly after the
Russian Revolution of 1917, papakhas were removed from the new
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...
uniform because of their association with the old
Tsarist regime
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. The ...
and the fact that many Cossack regiments of the Tsarist army fought against the
Bolsheviks
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
. During the
Russian Civil War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Russian Civil War
, partof = the Russian Revolution and the aftermath of World War I
, image =
, caption = Clockwise from top left:
{{flatlist,
*Soldiers ...
, many Bolshevik cavalrymen and officers (like
Vasily Chapayev
Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev or Chapaev (russian: link=no, Василий Иванович Чапаев; 5 September 1919) was a Russian soldier and Red Army commander during the Russian Civil War.
Biography
Chapayev was born into a poor peasan ...
) wore papakhas or kubankas because many of them were cossacks and the hat had been part of the cavalryman's uniform.
Papakhas became part of the uniform again in 1935, but in 1941, were reserved exclusively for full colonels, generals and marshals, thus becoming a symbol of status and high rank. Much later, during
Andrei Grechko
Andrei Antonovich Grechko (, ; – 26 April 1976) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union (from 1955). He was Minister of Defence of the Soviet Union from 1967 to 1976.
Early life
Grechko was the thirteenth child born to a family of Ukrainian peasant ...
's tenure as a Defence Minister, the Navy followed suit, introducing their own distinct version resembling a smallish "kubanka" with a visor, which was nicknamed "шапка с ручкой" ("the hat with a handle") by the troops.
In 1994, they were once again removed from military use. Allegedly this was by request of the wearers, who found the hat inefficient. (As the papakha is a relatively short hat that does not protect the ears well, it might be well suited to the mild climate of the Caucasus, but not to lower temperatures elsewhere. The act of removing the papakhas was seen in some quarters as an attempt by the
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin ( rus, Борис Николаевич Ельцин, p=bɐˈrʲis nʲɪkɐˈla(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈjelʲtsɨn, a=Ru-Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin.ogg; 1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician wh ...
regime to abandon earlier Soviet traditions and symbolically demonstrate the country's commitment to a new political course. In 2005 however, papakhas were reinstated.
Contemporary papakha
The Papakha's heritage comes from Central Asia and the Caucasus and is worn across the entire region, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, and North Caucasus, as well as Russia and Ukraine.
Gallery
File:Brooklyn Museum - Two Persian Peasants and Two Persian Officers Gambling One of 274 Vintage Photographs.jpg, Two Persian peasants and two Persian officers gambling, between 1876 and 1933; the standing peasant is wearing a papakha. Brooklyn Museum
File:Georgische Familie.jpg, Georgian poet and writer Vazha-Pshavela
Vazha-Pshavela ( ka, ვაჟა-ფშაველა), simply referred to as Vazha ( ka, ვაჟა) (26 July 1861 – 10 July 1915), is the pen name of the Georgian poet and writer Luka Razikashvili ( ka, ლუკა რაზიკა ...
(centre) wearing a Georgian papakha with his family
File:Andranik hat.png, Armenian military commander Andranik
Andranik Ozanian, commonly known as General Andranik or simply Andranik;. Also spelled Antranik or Antranig 25 February 186531 August 1927), was an Armenian military commander and statesman, the best known '' fedayi'' and a key figure of the ...
wearing a papakha
File:Gurtnyyaz Nurlyyewic Hanmyradow and Shinzo Abe 20151023.jpg, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe
Shinzo Abe ( ; ja, 安倍 晋三, Hepburn: , ; 21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 20 ...
(right) wearing a papakha next to rector of the Magtymguly Turkmen State University Gurtnyyaz Nurlyyewic Hanmyradow (left)
File:Dmitry Medvedev in Turkmenistan 21 October 2010-3.jpeg, Turkmen boy wearing a papakha with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Turkmenbashi International Airport
Turkmenbashi International Airport ( tk, Türkmenbaşy halkara howa menzili) is an international airport located in the city of Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan. It accepts both passenger and cargo flights. It opened in 1959 and is one of the five m ...
File:Turkmen supporter of FC Rubin Kazan.jpg, Turkmen football fan with a papakha (right)
File:Azerbaijani old man in Papakh.jpg, Azerbaijani old man in Papakh
File:Allan Ramsay - Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712 - 1778) - Google Art Project.jpg, 1766 portrait of Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects of the French Revolu ...
wearing an Armenian papakha and costume, Allan Ramsay
File:Azerbaijan tradition.jpg, upright=0.7, Traditional Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
i clothing and musical instruments
See also
*
Busby
*
Kalpak
Calpack, kalpak, or qalpaq ( kaa, калпак, tr, kalpak ; kk, қалпақ, ky, калпак, both ; bg, калпак; el, καλπάκι ('); pl, kołpak; uk, ковпак, ') is a high-crowned cap (usually made of felt or sheepski ...
*
Karakul (hat)
A Karakul hat (Dari/Urdu/Pashto/ Uzbek/ Kashmiri: ), sometimes spelled as Qaraqul hat, also called Uzbek hat and Jinnah Cap is a hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep. Karakul directly translates to black fur in the Uzbek language a ...
*
Ushanka
An ushanka ( rus, уша́нка, p=ʊˈʂankə, from , "ears"), also called an ''ushanka- hat'' ( rus, ша́пка-уша́нка, p=ˈʂapkə ʊˈʂankə), is a Russian fur cap with ear-covering flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the ...
, Russian fur hat with "ear flaps"
References
External links
*
{{Hats
1850s fashion
19th-century fashion
20th-century fashion
21st-century fashion
Armenian clothing
Azerbaijani clothing
Clothing of Georgia (country)
Russian folk clothing
Hats
Military organization of Cossacks
Uniforms