The fez (Greek: φέσι fesi, Turkish: fes, plural fezzes or fezes), or Tarboosh (Egyptian Arabic: طربوش), is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone. The fez originated in Ancient or Byzantine Greece, later finding popularity in the Ottoman Empire. Famously, the late British comedian and magician Tommy Cooper wore a fez as part of his stage persona.
The fez was adopted as the universal male headgear in the Ottoman Empire in 1826 as part of ...
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The fez (Greek: φέσι fesi, Turkish: fes, plural fezzes or fezes), or Tarboosh (Egyptian Arabic: طربوش), is a red felt hat in the shape of a truncated cone. The fez originated in Ancient or Byzantine Greece, later finding popularity in the Ottoman Empire. Famously, the late British comedian and magician Tommy Cooper wore a fez as part of his stage persona.
The fez was adopted as the universal male headgear in the Ottoman Empire in 1826 as part of the modernizing reforms of sultan Mahmud II. Prior to this date it was worn sporadically in the Maghreb (Northwest Africa), by some units of the Ottoman navy, and by the inhabitants of some Greek islands.
Initially a symbol of Ottoman modernity, the fez soon came to be seen as part of an "Oriental" cultural identity. In Turkey, wearing the fez was legally banned in 1925 as part of the modernizing reforms of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The origin of the name is controversial. Some scholars have argued that it originates from Ancient or Byzantine...
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