Karakul (hat)

Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, wearing a Karakul.

A Karakul hat (Dari/Pashto/Uzbek/Urdu/Kashmiri: قراقلی), sometimes spelled as Qaraqul hat, also known as an Astrakhan hat, Uzbek hat,[1] and Jinnah Cap.[2][3] It is a hat made from the fur of the Qaraqul breed of sheep. It originally comes from Bukhara.[4][5][6][7] The fur from which it is made is referred to as Astrakhan, broadtail, qaraqulcha, or Persian lamb. The hat is peaked, and folds flat when taken off of the wearer's head.

Muhammad Ibrahim Khan, Hazara leader in 1944 from Afghanistan, wearing Karakul.

The cap is typically worn by Muslim men in Central and South Asia. It was worn by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founding father of Pakistan, where it is known as the Jinnah cap. The karakul, which had distinguished all educated urban men since the beginning of the 20th century, has fallen out of fashion in Afghanistan and Pakistan.[8][9][3]

  1. ^ Ahmed, Akbar S. (2005) [First published 1997]. Jinnah, Pakistan, and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin. London: Routledge. p. 85. ISBN 978-1-134-75022-1.
  2. ^ "Decoding Afghanistan's colourful headgear culture". AlJazeera. 18 March 2022. known as a Jinnah cap across the border in Pakistan, where it was popularised by the country's founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah
  3. ^ a b Baig, Zulfiqar (9 October 2019). "Jinnah Cap – a dying legacy". The Express Tribune.
  4. ^ "Hamid Karzai's Famous Hat Made From Aborted Lamb Fetuses". FOXNews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008.
  5. ^ "Qaraquls Burst Upon the Fashion World". Taipei Times. Associated Press. 27 May 2007. p. 12. Archived from the original on 16 December 2007.
  6. ^ Humane Society of the United States (12 December 2000). "HSUS Investigation Reveals Slaughter of Unborn and Newborn Lambs for Fur: Dateline NBC Features Undercover Investigation Documenting Animal Cruelty". Infurmation (Press release). Archived from the original on 31 May 2006.
  7. ^ "Transcript of NBC "Dateline" Feature on Karakul Production". furcommission.com. 11 December 2000. Archived from the original on 10 May 2008.
  8. ^ "Clothing in Afghanistan". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
  9. ^ Nordland, Rob (26 January 2010). "The Afghan Leader's Hat, Always More Than Just Headgear, Is Losing Its Cachet". New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2017.