I always thought it came from the ottomans, but i've heard that it has actually been around before the ottoman empire was ever established, or even Islam and Christianity and was worn in Ancient Greece and the Balkans, I also heard that it may have come from ancient Morocco
I know the Ottoman empire popularized it, making people where it to be more modern, but I was wondering if anyone knows where the hat originated from, thank you
It's named after a city in Morocco where it originated centuries before Sultan Mahmud II made it a part of official dress code in the Ottoman Empire.
Semi-related question:
What purpose did such hats serve? Surely they didn't shield the wearer from the harsh Mediterranean sun.