Fez is a traditional female headdress of Crimean Tatars. This type of headdress has a form of a truncated cone on a rigid base with a lining, made of burgundy velvet and decorated with filigree overlays and coins.
Fez has a pommel called topelik. The adornment is silver, gold gilt with floral decoration, made with openwork multi-tiered filigree technique. A wreath is located in the center of the topelik`s decorative space, adorned with six silver rosettes and six gold gilt bell-like flowers on a spiral stems.
Coins are sewn from the front side of the headdress in three tiers, by one, two and three pieces each. An openwork bow with a pendant is over the coins. The temporal parts of the headdress have two foliate openwork patchwork adornments decorated with floral filigree.
Fez began to appear as an element of female garments in the beginning of the 19th century and became widely popular in the end of the century. Inhabitants of the South-West part of Crimea wore higher fez, while South coast residents preferred shorter hats.
Manner of wearing depended on a personal taste and local traditions, but photos bear witness that this headdress was frequently slightly moved aside, and lower edge of a fez could reach the middle of forehead.
Fez was worn by women of different social status, wealth and age. Fez of elderly women was worn without any decorations. Young women were trying to have an extensively decorated headdress.
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