Honest question. Why were the Ottomans depicted wearing turbans when now they are primarily work by Sikhs instead of Muslims. Was there a time when they fell out of fashion?

by TheSquigglyFish

I am genuinely wondering why the stereotypical Ottoman is depicted with a turban when now a days most Muslims don't wear them and primarily when you see a man wearing one they are Sikh. Was it a religious symbol at one point? Did it die out along with the Ottoman Empire? Are there still other groups of Muslims that wear the turban?

CubicZircon

This happened in two phases:

  • first the turban (which was used as a status symbol) was replaced, in the Ottoman Empire, by the fez/tarbush as a military/civil headdress in the 19th century (there is a law from 1829 on this) - along with the first phase of modernisation of the Empire (abolition of the Janissaries/Tanzimat reforms);

  • one century later, the fez was in turn banned by Atatürk (1925 law) during a subsequent phase of modernization of Turkey (secularization, Latin alphabet, etc.).

There are still some turban-like coverings commonly worn by Muslims, such as the chèche in North Africa or the keffieh in the Levant.