Arabian Days: a History of the Keffiyeh

[@kims.schinkel8212]

I always appreciate your respectful approach to different cultures. Such behavior is so rare these days. Please know that you are highly esteemed by us.

[@emmgeevideo]

Well said...

[@Dailymailnewz]

You can see that from Pharohs statues some of them, it was first worn by them.

[@barryirlandi4217]

Well done with the Arabic. Mashallaah.

[@hathistorianjc]

shokran! (That's one of the only words I actually know. I had help with the intro)

[@barryirlandi4217]

​@@hathistorianjcyou pulled it off great!

[@El.Matamoros.]

​@@hathistorianjcCan you do the Sombrero?

[@qv81]

In Kuwait it was worn by the Beduins and every one called them "Marlboro", because of the colours. The black and white one was called the Arafat and was forbidden, because Arafat was supporting Iraq in the invasion in 1990. BTW, the most important thing in the gulf countries is the "beak" tou form on the forehead. Also if one side goes over the shoulder and the other on your back. It's a minefield of fashion. 2 also, summer white, winter gray.

[@sagapoetic8990]

I remember the backlash against the wearing of the black and white in certain Gulf countries because of Arafat.

[@matt.willoughby]

@@sagapoetic8990it's what all the anti Israel radicals are wearing today, but 99% of them wouldn't even know who Y Arafat was

[@Chiller11]

Interesting, yes it’s obvious there are certain stylistic elements besides colour that are of cultural importance. I’m relatively ignorant of those nuances but I’m betting it’s pretty easy to get into trouble if you’re careless with the details.

[@deadinside736]

Strange haha I didn’t know that. I am a Kurd from Iraq I wear the black and white one almost daily.

[@qv81]

@deadinside736 They had checkpoints on the highways and anyone who had one was arrested. This was after 1989. White was for rich city boys, "Marlboro" was for beduins and black and white was completely forbidden.

[@ashleys7631]

Yesterday I was given a keffiyeh ❤ it was an honor, thank you for making this video I really appreciate understanding culture and history.

[@NexStageChannel]

The keffiyah is part of the system of clothing that desert cultures use to keep cool. When you think about the hottest places on the planet, instead of being darn near naked, it is often flowing robes like the Bedu and the Tuareg. It creates what is called a 'micro climate' for the wearer by slowing down the evaporation of sweat to help regulate body temperature. It may seem crazy to wear so much in a climate so brutally hot, but it works!

[@jujenho]

I believe it, but as a westerner it makes me utterly uncomfortable just to think sweatty under all that cloth. But, of course, I’ve never been subjected continouusly under such harsh condition.

[@NexStageChannel]

@jujenho that is understandable but not the case. The cloth next to your skin evaporates the moisture away and traps it in the layers of cotton. You don't feel it at all. But it keeps you much cooler than a single layer or, worse, no layer and your skin in the direct sun!

[@jujenho]

@@NexStageChannel I don’t doubt it. If it was widely addopted it must be real.

[@deadinside736]

@@jujenhoit is very comfortable actually and it feels nice wearing it. Keeps you cool. 😄

[@cameronalexander359]

Like the Australian Aborigines 😂

[@bikegames0]

Once again, excellent. For a relatively simple piece of headgear, you did a lot of work with a carefully and diplomatically constructed presentation. Until now, I had a strong bias as to what I thought of as a hat. Thank you for broadening my mind.

[@KeiPalace]

Thanks for the great video! I have a Palestinian keffiyeh just like yours which was gifted to me in the 1980s. Could you do something on Chinese headwear? I do like the Mianguan through the different dynasties.

[@hathistorianjc]

noted

[@grahamdeamer128]

I used to wear one when working on cold windy and bleak Welsh hillsides and it beat all manner of hats for keeping one warm and dry. An old army major I knew once referred to me as Glubb Pasha!

[@marwaqoura7804]

As an Arab that was a great , very well researched video ❤ in Egypt we call it Koufiah which is the closest to the town it came from Kufa in Iraq .and your presentation in Arabic is really good 👏👏👏👏👏

[@chiron14pl]

Under your keffiyeh is a tight fitting white cap. You didn't talk about that. I see some people wearing that under their keffiyeh, others not. I also have heard that a plain white one, in some countries, symbolizes a man who has gone on the haj, or pilgrimage. Any info on this under cap?

[@hathistorianjc]

it's called a taqiyah, it's a small skullcap often worn by muslims. The color or wearing of it has different meanings depending on the country, but in the case of under the scarf, it is mostly to help it stay in place better and look more presentable.

[@american_cosmic]

I always assumed that white cap underneath served the same purpose as the doo-rag worn under a flat-brimmed hat by western hip-hop style enthusiasts... to keep the hat clean and unsoiled from dirt and sweat.

[@markrossow6303]

​@@american_cosmic hmm

[@HS-su3cf]

@@hathistorianjc Topic for another video?

[@american_cosmic]

@@markrossow6303 lol I know, it does sound ridiculous.

[@HelenaTaniwha-uw7pl]

Hat Historian I have learned something new today. Thank you from New Zealand❤

[@hathistorianjc]

then my efforts were worth it!

[@Nick-zp3ub]

I’ve worn herbawi keffiyehs all year round since 2006. In the summer it protects from dust and pollen and in the winter it’s a warm and cozy scarf

[@cmur078]

The clothing in pictures of Biblical figures (particularly the New Testament ones) is pretty heavily influenced by 19th century Palestinian clothing I believe. A bunch of European artists decided they wanted more accurate models for biblical art than just 'vaguely exotic', and went on trips to Palestine, and then painted biblical subjects in the contemporary clothing they saw. That's what I heard anyway.

[@falchion1966]

If I'm working outside in the winter a shemagh is the perfect thing to wrap around my head to keep warm

[@ViserysTheFirst]

0:50 It can also be worn without anything on top-often by older or more religious individuals(i don't know why), and some groups wear it plain white without the عقال

[@wajdhaydar3155]

Impressive!!! Continue the good work 👏

[@JamelWorkman]

I am an American milliner and have been following your channel since the very beginning. I LOVE THIS! Always very in depth and accurate research.

[@Adam33067]

What a unique profession. How did you wind up becoming a milliner?

[@JamelWorkman]

@Adam33067 I initially set out to make just one hat for myself but quickly became obsessed. Lots of trial and error for at least my first year, then was blessed enough to find and learn from some of the best in the world. Coming up on ten years strong now. It's been a wonderfully wild ride.

[@Adam33067]

@@JamelWorkman That’s terrific. I hope every woman at the Kentucky Derby wears one of your hats. 🇺🇸

[@apayauq]

I have a black and pink/purple ish one, it is associated with the city of Ramallah in Palestine. The classic black and white one was sold out when i ordered mine, but the one i have suits my outfits very well so I'm not that mad about it.

[@migueldelacruz4799]

I was wondering when you would cover this. Good job brother. You are so very knowledgeable.

[@TheESMAT07]

This is sooo unexpected topic😂❤ Greetings from Arabia!!

[@MichaelJohnson-tw7dq]

As always, a great presentation of an interesting topic.

[@blacksmith67]

Excellent background to such an iconic headdress. I've had a couple of these since the late 1980s when I think they sprang in popularity following the re-release of the fully restored version of Lawrence of Arabia. In the 1990s they could be found in multitudes of colours from fuchsia to aqua, lime green to purple.

[@TheJohtunnBandit]

I've been using a marine corps pattern one for years now, great supplementary item for the cold when worn with a beanie hat etc. Didn't know some people might object to it as neckwear, that's a good one to keep in mind, thanks!

[@hathistorianjc]

I think few people would object to a military one, it's mostly the palestinian pattern people are touchy about.

[@obsidianjane4413]

I still have a shamag an Afghan shop keeper gave me (I think he was trying to get me to cover my head. lol), and wear it occasionally in winter.

[@thelostcosmonaut5555]

I have a shemagh I bought in kuwait. Its kept me warm and my mouth dust free for many days in the desert.

[@stukafaust]

When I was visiting the Dead Sea, it was so hot my first instinct was to grab a towel and wear it as such, inadvertently creating a keffiyeh on the spot.

[@nicholaswoollhead6830]

Great video as always mate. Youre one of my favorite youtubers.

[@ek-nz]

I try to always carry a fairly large square of fabric, whether around my neck, on my head or just in my bag. Sometimes a shemag from an army surplus store, sometimes a furoshiki and sometimes a bandana or neckerchief. As mentioned in the video, there are just so many uses! And I always forget to put my shopping bags in the car, so I can carry a few grocery items with it too.

[@jnxmaster]

Very interesting. Love your presentation style.

[@lenrichardson7349]

I was surprised by what you said about Oman as I have a Keffiyeh from my time there in the 1980's. It is red and white check with a particularly colourful trim around the edge of red and yellow. There are large tassels at the corners.

[@laurentdevaux5617]

Nice and interesting as always. It's true the keffieh has also been issued to militaries, and first of all the British army, under the name of shemagh. I bought two of these British regulation keffiehs something like fifteen years ago, one green and black and one tan and black and I must say they are of a very high quality as their black patterns are not printed like on cheap, made who knows where, keffiehs seen everywhere, but machine embroidered. Indeed they can be used as a scarf, but not only as our Hat historian said. In France we have a similar thing called chèche, put in service in our army well before, in fact since the mid-19th century in north Africa. The first ones were green, but as the Zouaves, which only recruited French natives, also used them, it became a problem with the muslims who considered green as their own color, and as such unsuitable for christians. Hence, the French army switched to white chèches in late 19th century, then tan. And they are still used without major changes since, the major difference with the keffieh/shemagh being a much bigger size, something like 2,80 metres long and 85 cm large, which makes them, in my opinion, more useful. Last thing, if I may : if I'm not wrong, I've seen, at the very beginning of this episode, a bishop's mitre. I can't help myself making an educated guess... maybe it will the next headgear you will talk about ! Waiting now for the French version of the keffieh... and once more I will encourage all those who, like me, can understand both english and french to watch the two versions, they are always equally delightful !

[@MatthewMakesAU]

Don't wear the black and tan one in Ireland

[@laurentdevaux5617]

@@MatthewMakesAU I don't wear any of them, I only bought them as collecting items. But could you explain why I shouldn't wear the black and tan shemagh in Ireland (where I've never have been, anyway...) ?

[@PhilMasters]

@@laurentdevaux5617 It's a bit of a dark joke about Irish history. The "Black and Tans" were constables recruited into the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) as reinforcements during the Irish War of Independence, mostly from English WWI veterans, and named for the colours of their uniforms. They gained a very bad reputation in Ireland for brutality. I'm not sure if just wearing those colours in Ireland these days would trigger anybody, but some people do have a long memory for history, and putting the two words together might cause some people to twitch.

[@samaraisnt]

^Considering he got them in the English army it’d be safe to say it’s not the thing to wear +the color association…I personally wouldn’t want be associated with war crimes and executing teen boys en masse by firing squad when I visit a country…that’s just me though.

[@brunalnono2920]

While it was tempting, I resisted the urge to jump to the end of the video to see how you could possible "tip your hat to us" (wasn't disapointed ;) ) "As usual" interesting and respectfull video, thank you sir !

[@SwarthySyrupBoi_2000]

You should cover the sou'wester on your next video! Great content as always!

[@junkyardmagic]

as always, a wonderful educational and entertaining video

[@gerrimilner9448]

when i was a child in the 80's, they were a really popular clothes item, among the new romantics

[@spaghetti2246]

Thanks for the video, it was very enlightening. Was that bishop's hat a hint of what's to come, or do you already have a video for it?

[@hathistorianjc]

Check back later and you will see ;)

[@1-t254]

I have used mine as a stocking cap, balaclava, hood, facemask, scarf (mostly for storage) towel, and a Furoshiki style sholder bag. It is just too useful not to have arround.

[@octavian7637]

nice video you clarified some details that's even a lot middle easterners are misinformed about it. I wish you if talked about Kurdish variety and its history because I think they're the only non Semitic people (by language not genetically) who wear it to this day and have it embedded in their culture.

[@stanboyd5820]

As it is Halloween season, here is a question Cher M. Foyer. where did the witches' pointed hats come from? A version of traditional hats, such as seen in Welsh national costume, or a purely fictional Anglo invention pushed into popular culture by Hollywood?

[@hathistorianjc]

I should add that to the ones to tackle in future videos

[@ghifarakbar8492]

One of the most versatile piece of headwear ever

[@William-n1b]

Interesting and informative as always. Is there a specific connection to the blue embroidered cap you were wearing underneath?

[@hathistorianjc]

That's a taqiyah, a skullcap often worn by muslim men, that in this case is often worn under the scarf to help it stay in place and keep it looking presentable.

[@jujenho]

A perfect historical and geographical narrative. Congratulation!

[@KKRioApartments]

Suggestion: do one about turbans, next

[@Larry660]

I grew up as an expatriate in Saudi Arabia. I learned some things from this video.

[@EmpressCosplay]

Didn't expect the babushki at 1:20 😂❤❤❤ Love your videos.

[@expansivegymnast1020]

I love your channel!

[@AnInterestedObserver]

Thanks. Pleasantly rivetting.

[@bnthern]

excellant presentation

[@helenscoffield]

love your videos!

[@ahmedalrays]

Great Content. Keep it up.

[@SegueGreene]

Thank you!

[@richard8808]

In Iraq, the nighal (or however you want to spell it with the latin alphabet) is colloquially referred to as the preventer of thinking.

[@samantarmaxammadsaciid5156]

The odd thing is that it belongs to the triliteral root-pattern verb ᶜaQaLa: 1- Grasp, comprehend, understand 2- Fetter, hobble, shackle (the animal) 3- Pay the blood money for the slain ᶜiqaal (noun)= hobble, fetter; restrainer, shackle; headband, headcord. ᶜuqaal (noun) = cramp ᶜaql (noun) = brain thinking process, intellect, intelligence, mentality, understanding, sense, nous, mind, reason. Altogether, naturally, the human animal doesn't automatically have control over his thinking processes, but something through learning experience compensating for its natural shackles. Hence, humanity is never out of its shackles however much humanity thinks they're free from it.

[@gregoryjensen9328]

Amazing as always. How about a video on the Porkpie?

[@kellybrown8638]

Excellent video

[@ComradeViki54]

Do a video about the Kalpak or the Papakha

[@edyke4962]

Well done mate .

[@philipsmith7913]

Another authoritative, well researched history.

[@poiuyt975]

Because of its most famous modern wearer it is called "arafatka" in Polish.

[@kelleyfair6229]

Could you show the cloth laid out flat? Is it a simple rectangle?

[@maskedbear1762]

Very interesting as usual Thank you

[@jerkerMAN-nf3ns]

Αν μπορεσεις ....κανε ενα βιντεο για το μακεδονικο καπελο των σημερινων αφγανιστανων ευχαριστω

[@endrickdonitz6669]

The Keffiyeh and palestine, not once did I ever think of they together. Different colors and different meanings.

[@sul_6448]

Hello just a few things i would like to add in the modern sense the shemagh is made from a stiffer cotton and is most commonly worn in Saudi Arabia as for the rest of the gulf we more commonly wear the ghutra which is made from a more pliable cotton or polyester the difference in design should also be noted as the shemagh has the weave pattern while ghutras most commonly lack and pattern in some instances in the olden days the ghutra would have some small tassels around the edge or a embroidered similar to that found on shawls or what was commonly worn by sea captains at the time a sort of checkered print

[@ssonng]

another great video! enjoyed thoroughly. could you tell us little about the headband? that you wore inside of the keffiyeh? is that a part of the keffiyeh?

[@hathistorianjc]

that's a taqiyah, a skullcap often worn by muslim men, that in this case is often worn under the scarf to help it stay in place and keep it looking presentable.

[@N-the-goof]

Could you please do the hardee hat it is one of my favorite hats

[@UltraPatate]

In France it's nicknames "Cochonou" because it look like the sausage brand with the cross section white and red(take a look on internet at the brand)

[@markrossow6303]

hah

[@calebp01_]

You should do a video on the chullo, it has a fascinating history

[@propriono]

Next video... The army cap?

[@ViserysTheFirst]

2:49 the old man with the all white thobe in the far right-down looks like Bassem Youssef

[@sagapoetic8990]

In the '90s, the Israeli army issued orders to shoot to kill anyone wearing a keffiyeh if it were wrapped around their face even if the person were standing around -- this furthered its role as a symbol of resistance because of the abuses resulting from this blanket policy. Before this, it was viewed largely as an article of 'traditional' clothing older men or the Bedouin wore with a village edge. Or Arafat. Women didn't wear it but in the last decade, that's changed -- and that's an interesting change along with using it as a neck scarf. I think that's also the influence of the emigres and protesters picking it up and then in turn influencing the local culture. My favourite style is the hot pink with embroidered roses. People get creative.

[@juliabrowni9418]

Would you be able to provide a source for your first claim?

[@JeSuisunHumain-222]

@@juliabrowni9418 It's always easy to make up bogus claims without providing any legitimate source. Sad thing is that the way people are divided nowadays, many will just accept it as truth.

[@juliabrowni9418]

@JeSuisunHumain-222 I'm genuinely curious about this. But it seems like either a half-truth, a false claim, or an exaggerated claim. There is nothing that supports this claim from my own searching, so I was hoping the person who wrote this comment would provide a source for where they found or heard it.

[@JeSuisunHumain-222]

@@juliabrowni9418 Exactly, I'm pretty familiar with this conflict, and I've never heard such a thing before. I have heard many many false claims. Going back many years. Unfortunately while hummus may have lost the actual war, the sad reality is that what started as a horrific tea roar attack, with SA and all sorts of things I can't write here. was seen by many college students and others as legitimate resistance. Even many Palestinians are realizing that Hummus only cares about their Iranian backed Islamic agenda, but that does not stop the college students and others with their own agenda. So yeah...let's see if this person replies I'm sure they have an agenda too. Hope you continue seeking truth.

[@kellyrenee77]

As the video was winding down, I was wondering how you were going to tip your hat this time!

[@hathistorianjc]

it was... challenging :p

[@TheESMAT07]

BTW some people say, "I tip my eqal to you," which is just an imitation for the Western way of showing respect. But if you said that, you would be understood.

[@hathistorianjc]

Interesting. Maybe I should have just tipped that, doing the whole thing was a little awkward...

[@clunkerdunker6321]

In Jewish communities this style of head-scarf is known as a Sudra. Unlike the tallit , the sudra is often worn over the head like a turban. In many communities the Sudra was swapped out for the smaller kippah which could easily be concealed under a hat, allowing Jews to be in compliance with local laws that restricted how Jews were allowed to dress.

[@Ahmed-oq3ug]

Free Palestine 🇵🇸 Thank for the video

[@CAP198462]

Never before knew what the rings used to keep the shemagh on were called. I had one years ago, it got tossed out after it got too disgusting from being used as a cleaning rag.

[@barryirlandi4217]

Eqaal means Hobble.. Like hobbling a goat.. As in tying it's leg up so it can move but not move too far away

[@cloroxbleach6344]

You should do the the pakol next!

[@inanna1997]

Most historians; Why are these two groups of people fighting? The Hat Historian; what are these two groups of people fighting wearing on their heads?

[@tommunyon2874]

Just knowing how to pronounce it is enlightening.

[@rollinwithunclepete824]

Thank you, Jean-Charles. I have wondered about the Keffiyeh... even to the point what is its name.

[@57WillysCJ]

You should do the fisherman/fiddler's cap. Most do not know how universal it was maybe because of all of the different names.

[@SmilefortheJudge]

Headwear yes. Hat? Ehh. Wish if it was more than setting it on top yer head you’d demonstrate it. I’ve been wearing red and white and b&w for over a decade. They’re so useful whether the weather. I’m a pale white guy but if I put one on like a balaclava like you said I get looks. I have a whole rainbow and many hats tho but I wear a keffiyeh or shemagh every day around my neck. Ready to cool me or warm me. I need to order a couple new ones. Prolly red and b&w again unless there’s a cool psychedelic one. Great show mate.

[@heatherevert274]

The type of red=white check pattern worn by the HatHistorian was briefly popular as an American Hipster fashion thing about 15 yrs ago. But it was any color plus white in the check pattern. I once asked a co-worker about her pink-white keffiyeh and whether she had a tie to Palestine, and she had no idea what I was asking about. F-ing hipsters having no idea what culture they were appropriating.

[@pamelaearl7191]

Interesting take. Wondering where you sourced your research. A great deal of it reads as being orientalism. I don't think or I hope that was not your intention.

[@Pocketfarmer1]

Nice essay yet again. The miter on the side was interesting shall we say balance point. Cloud you do one on the traditional hat worn in Afghanistan, that round Elizabethan beret looking thing?

[@hathistorianjc]

the pakol? it's on the list, I just have to acquire one.

[@Pocketfarmer1]

@ thanks for the reply. I did not know the name, but that’s the one. Street vendors in NYC used to sell the right after the US attacked Afghanistan, along with Keffiyeh and the African Kufi.

[@maciejgronowski]

Every region of Arabia, mostly due to its tribal allegiance used to have their own pattern (just like with tartan patterns differ for all clans in Scotland). In 1930s Saudi government passed a law to unify the national dress - they forced everyone to stop wearing traditional Hijazi yellow turbans and introduced dress of the Saud tribe (from the region of Najd). Most gulf arabs wear plain white in th3 Hest of the summer and other colours (red and white in gulf, black and white in Iraq and Palestine) in winter. When it comes to iqal - if you look at photos from 1920 and older, most arabs used to wear a turban wrapped on top of the kufiyyah, instead of Iqal. Iqal is a tradition of begins from Najd region.

[@ChromeMan04]

Iqal was worn by Bedouin tribes made out of sheep and wool skin as a way to tie their camels in the desert. Ur right that some Arabs would use a turban cloth to hold their ghutra in place but that was mostly urban Arabs as many couldn’t afford an Iqal.

[@am1156]

They call it 'Arafatka' in Poland, after Arafat.

[@JazzRoyalty]

❤

[@kijekuyo9494]

I was surprised to hear you use the term DAESH, which I rarely hear in the West. I was introduced to the term by my Saudi students, and I always thought it was much smarter to use than "The so-called Islamic State", popular among US journalists.

[@hathistorianjc]

It's the preferred term in France, and I find it more specific than ISIS or ISIL (and I gather it's a stealth insult in Arabic to them, which is a bonus)

[@randelbrooks]

What is the difference between the way the men and the women wear it?

[@husseinb9688]

Generaly its called shmagh in iraq ang Gulf region. Only in Palestine its called keffiyeh.

[@GreaterAfghanistanMovement]

The Sumerian statue you showed is not a keffyiah let alone a cloth headdress. Its likely this headress originated among Bedouins living in the Syrian and Arabian desert. That is why its common among Arabs than other Middle Eastern people.

[@sirfox950]

I don't know... should I count that as a successful hat tip? Maybe, but I'm being generous.

[@hathistorianjc]

I appreciate your magnanimity.

[@LeeDunkelberg]

New mic?

[@hathistorianjc]

New Mic/camera.

[@LeeDunkelberg]

@@hathistorianjc still, well done. Answered many questions. Thank you … merci.

[@emmgeevideo]

It's interesting that there is no visor. I would think that a visor would be very helpful to protect the eyes from the sun.

[@sarahasdfg8248]

Great video but i wouldnt call the situation in Palestine a conflict. Its a vicious military illegal occupation. A conflict gives the impression that its a fair fight. Great content ❤

[@markrossow6303]

t.y. -- being Polite to the Staff !! ¡

[@adikravets3632]

Free 🇵🇸

[@TXLOVER]

Do one about the afghan/pakistan pakol.

[@raniayoussef5599]

The keffiyeh originated in Kufa Iraq, and the word itself is a derivative of the city's name. When it was used by the Arab Palestinian farmers in the Arab revolt it began its association with Palestinian resistance.

[@BrandonLack]

It originates in the Arabian peninsula.

[@ChromeMan04]

It’s called many names in different dialects and it didn’t originate in Iraq but the Arabian peninsula among nomads.

[@raniayoussef5599]

@ChromeMan04 specifically the kiffeya black and white is the one that originated in kuffa, the fish net pattern was introduced later in Palestine when it was adopted by them during the first Arab revolt against the British occupation.

[@ChromeMan04]

@ maybe idk, just wanted to say your fine lol

[@colintuffs568]

Hats can be world wide . As a stockport lad with its history of hat making was not surprised to see the standard trilby being worn by men and women of the indigenous people of Colombia 😂

[@shahriar4706_]

i'm so sorry i literally thought you were Steven He with a Keffiyeh 😭😭😭

[@The_Prenna]

There's is a lot of headwear from Southwest Asia and Africa that I love but only the keffiyeh seems toone that I can wear without falling foul of cultural appropriation.