The Sindhi cap, also known as the Sindhī ṭopī () rarely known as the Sindhi Kufi ( sd, سنڌي ڪفي), is a skullcap worn predominantly by

Sindhis Sindhis ( sd, سنڌي Perso-Arabic: सिन्धी Devanagari; ) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who speak the Sindhi language and are native to the province of Sindh in Pakistan. After the partition of British Indian empire in 1947, man ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Together with

Ajrak Ajrak ( sd, اجرڪ), also known as Ajrakh, is a unique form of blockprinting found mostly in Sindh, Pakistan and Ajrakhpur, Kutch district, India. These shawls display special designs and patterns made using block printing by stamps. Over the ...

Saraiki Ajrak Sajarak also known as Saraiki ajrak ( skr, سرائیکی اجرک) is a unique form of blockprinting found mostly in South Punjab in Pakistan. It has become a symbol of the Saraiki culture and traditions. On 6 March, Saraiki Cultural Day is ce ...

, the Sindhi cap is regarded as an essential part of Sindhi

Saraiki culture Saraiki culture is the culture of the Saraiki people, residing in Pakistan and outside Pakistan. Religion Almost 99% population in South-Punjab region is Muslim. Islam came to this region with the Arab conquest of Sindh in eighth centur ...

, and Balochi culture.

History

The Sindhi cap originated during the time of the Kalhoras, but came into general use under the Talpurs. It was widely worn in Sindh by all except religious persons, who wore the

turban A turban (from Persian دولبند‌, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...

. It was primarily associated with the higher classes, both Sindhi Muslims and

Sindhi Hindus Sindhi Hindus are Sindhis who follow the Hindu religion, whose origins lie in the Sindh region and spread across modern-day India and Pakistani Sindh province. After the Partition of India in 1947, many Sindhi Hindus were among those who fled ...

, specially the Amil caste. In Sindhi culture, the Sindhi cap is often given as a gift or as a sign of respect, along with the traditional

. Hand-woven Sindhi caps are a product of hard labour, and are primarily produced in

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki language, Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district. The district is t ...

Umerkot Umerkot (formerly known as Amarkot) is a city in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The local language is Dhatki, which is one of the Rajasthani languages of the Indo-Aryan language family. It is most closely related to Marwari. Sindhi, Urdu and ...

Sanghar Sanghar ( sd, سانگھڙ; ur, سانگھڑ English: Sānghar) is a city in Sanghar District, Sindh, Pakistan. Sanghar is the headquarters of Sanghar District and Sanghar Taluka (a subdivision of the district). The driving distance of Sangher ...

and other districts of the Mirpurkhas division of

. The Sindhi cap, along with Ajrak, is specially celebrated on

Sindhi Cultural Day Sindhi Cultural Day ( sd, سنڌي ثقافتي ڏھاڙو) is a popular Sindhi cultural festival. It is celebrated with traditional enthusiasm to highlight the centuries-old rich culture of Sindh. The day is celebrated each year in the firs ...

, which was originally named ''Sindhi Topi Day''. In December 2009, for the first time ''Sindhi Topi Day'' was celebrated in Pakistan’s Sindh province to celebrate the Sindhi cap, and Sindhi culture in general, where the following year the day was renamed to Sindhi Cultural Day.

Description

The hat is a cylindrical skullcap with an

arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...

shaped cut-out on the frontal side. Often worn with the

, the hat is embroidered with intricate geometrical designs with small pieces of mirrors or

gemstones A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...

sewed into it.

References

External links

{{Hats Pakistani headgear Pakistani clothing Indian headgear Indian clothing Sindhi culture Caps

History

Description

See also

References

External links