Is this Fez use in Albania only, or in other Balkan countries?
Posted by AzerbaijanLeon@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 73 comments
It's really interesting that some Azerbaijani Turkic tribes like Qashqai, Khalaj, Khorasani use this hat
Fine-Ear-8103@reddit
Thats not a fez its a Plis, found in both illyrian men and womens graves from the iron age as well as monuments from bosnia from 2nd century AD showing illyrians with these caps. Also ancient greeks presumably wore these as well.
confusedpellican643@reddit
dunno where you researched but it's either turkish, ancient greek or tunisian or moroccan. Fez was literally the capital of morocco when the fez was adopted lol
krisvelde@reddit
Ujemegaz@reddit
Azeri?
Barbak86@reddit
Actually a Serb Cetnik :D
Ujemegaz@reddit
They seem to enjoy our drip đ€Ł
krisvelde@reddit
His name is Milan AleksiÄ
Shtapiq@reddit
Most probably of Albanian origin anyway. We saved your asses so many times. Hell, think about it guys! /s
krisvelde@reddit
Yeah, origin like Skenderbeg đ Yeah, until 19th century your people weren't able to decide wheter they are turks or albanians đ You even couldn't save your ass by yourself, there were always others to fight for your interests. Same as today
Shtapiq@reddit
Ok, sarcasm mf, do you speak it? Also, since you donât get the codes, I think Serbian isnât spoken in Prishtina anymore right?
krisvelde@reddit
Yeah man, whatever, enjoy
Shtapiq@reddit
Good boy
Ujemegaz@reddit
Life is short, we value it by not fighting for some myth.
Barbak86@reddit
It's similar, but it's not the same. I guess having wool hats of different shapes was the rage all over the ancient old world. We even have the old Latin name for it "plis - pileus".
Worried-Owl-9198@reddit
Barbak86@reddit
Someone took the time to map out which variant is predominant in which area. Note that there are different regional hats, but this map treats only the white ones.
Dear-Ad1582@reddit
To no one surprise, Romanian sheppards have something like that..
https://starsibian.ro/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/TILISCA.jpg
No-Break856@reddit
It's paleobalkanic even the trousers and the rest, like till Poland those who have similar clothing are of vlachic origins
Albanian_Trademark@reddit
Black color kinda fire
Melodic2000@reddit
Funny thing ours is black and the Albanian one is white.
Barbak86@reddit
More like this (the northern variant)
Worried-Owl-9198@reddit
Thanks bro
ThickCaterpillar9867@reddit
No it is different
Fatalaros@reddit
That's a greek name...
Barbak86@reddit
Yup also. Forgot to mention it. Pilos
BardhyliX@reddit
It's an indo-european tradition that in the balkans is only practiced by Albanians nowdays.
Plis is one of the names, but qeleshe is also used.
Citaku357@reddit
Why?
BardhyliX@reddit
Who knows, some things are just difficult to explain, we'd need a time machine.
Citaku357@reddit
Okay let's start building it then
Fine-Ear-8103@reddit
Because we looked so fire
Citaku357@reddit
Lol of course we do, but still am surprised why are the only ones who have kept this tradition
Fine-Ear-8103@reddit
Honestly our region was just very closed off tbh, we retained the most of the ancient stuff culturally, linguistically, and genetically compared to our neighbors. Also we remained way more tribal which definitely helped us keep these things.
Barbak86@reddit
Plis is more specific to the conical one, used in the north, qeleshe is an overall term, meaning every Plis is a Qeleshe, but not every Qeleshe is a Plis.
BardhyliX@reddit
I didn't know that.
hubbabubbameqershi@reddit
We have many types of this hat in Albania depending from the region. This exact hat in the photo is the north eastern version used in Northeast Albania and Kosovo.
They are called Plis, Qeleshe, Qylaf, Takije, kapele, probably more. The most used name is Plis because is northern and used broadly. The name is authentic Albanian. I'm seeing some people that connect the name with Pilus in Latin might be cognate but doesn't come from any other language other than proto Albanian. Plis means something that is raised not flat. Can be used for the ground also, raised ground "plis dheu", or sop.
Mysterious_Contact_2@reddit
Well serbians were rightđ𫣠just kiddinâŠ
ismellsomethinggood@reddit
In Serbia we have something similar to Qashqai Iranian people.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qashqai_people
Ujemegaz@reddit
Frankly, that is a cool hat.
ismellsomethinggood@reddit
Yeah, people in Serbia make theories about how we are connected to Iran because of that hat, yet there is no connection, Serbian originated from Austrohungarian danube fleet in 17th century
FloppyDiskDrives@reddit
Mystery solved.
Shtapiq@reddit
Get back to dna testing youngling.
krisvelde@reddit
And what? Dna is not ethnicity
Sokol1389@reddit
I had it as a Serb - 0% anatolian blood. SoâŠpoint being?
Stormrage44@reddit
You've gedmatch results?
FloppyDiskDrives@reddit
Ujemegaz@reddit
It only means that Albanians have conserved earliest form of atire. All European peoples originated from Iran, hence the Aryan theory Nazis fetishized.
ThingCandid9553@reddit
Thatâs pseudoscientific bs
Ujemegaz@reddit
I did not say it is science, but 20th century chauvinist narratives had a hard on these theories relating to language, culture and linking them with race. But Indo-European people come from nowadays Caspian region, no?
ThingCandid9553@reddit
Basically, people came into Europe in waves. First, around 9â10k years ago, farmers from whatâs now Turkey and the near east showed up with crops and animals. Then, about 5k years ago, folks from the Pontic Caspian steppe started moving west and mixing with the locals.
topspout@reddit
Saar we wuz slavic we wuz illyrianovic we wuz jesusovic
RS_Wind@reddit
Well well well. Isn't it weird how there used be a Kingdom in today's Azerbajian woth the name 'Albania'
albardha@reddit
Thatâs a northern style. Albanian qeleshe/plis has different shapes depending on the region. It is known to have been used in the Balkans since antiquity, especially by shepherding communities regardless of ethnicity.
Iâm not surprised though, Central Asia and the Balkans have had a lot of influence on each-other since antiquity. Wool doesnât survive that long, so clothing history is not easy to trace, but look at things that do survive, like metal. Head jewlery that women in the Balkans, Central Asia and Middle East that are so ubiquitous have been traced to originate from Thrace in antiquity. Blew my mind when I read that AskHistorians thread for this.
oKINGDANo@reddit
I had assumed it was from Ottoman influence, I didnât know it was from antiquity. People have posted on this sub a few times some French (I think) illustrations of Albanians and their attire before the Ottomans and it looks pretty different, from what I remember. Though, maybe thatâs not a source that can be trusted? I donât know
BardhyliX@reddit
The plis, is far older than the Ottoman Empire, it's an antique thing as old as the Iron Age although most modern images are post Ottoman Empire.
Here is Moisi Golemi illustration from 1596 with the Plis, there are older portrayals of it too.
oKINGDANo@reddit
Damn, that plis has so much style
Fine-Ear-8103@reddit
The ottoman fez most likely has its origin from the Balkans as a matter of fact, the only reason itâs called a fez is because of the dye that makes them red was from fez, Morocco. But they most likely got this hat from Balkan influence.
albardha@reddit
No reason why they would be wrong, of course Albanian fashion has changed from Ottoman influence. We donât know what region those costumes are from in those illustrations, there are plenty of regions where Albanian costumes that look âWesternâ so to say, like this
The way things spread from one culture to another are really unpredictable, and often the true origin is untraceable. For example, that stereotypically Arabic music? Attested since the Byzantine Empire. Tibetan and Mongolian folk hero King Gesar? Thatâs their way of saying Caesar, a title from the Byzantine Empire too. Slavic folklore heroic figure Bogatyr? Xiongnu/Hun leader called Modu in Chinese writings. Japanese Izanami and Izanagi myth? Check Orpheus and Euridice from Greek mythology for comparison.
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
Thatâs not fez
AlbanianCatholic@reddit
The Albanian cap is not a fez, but a plis.
It was worn throughout the Balkans in the ancient world.
Known as "Pilos" in ancient Greek sources and "Pileus" in ancient Roman sources, it's the oldest documented cap in the region and was worn in antiquity by Illyrians, Greeks, Etrurians and later also adopted by the Romans who labeled their plis as "Pileus Pannonicus", suggesting a northern Illyrian origin.
And as for you, Azeri, there is no "brotherhood" between us. You are a foreign eastern invader in lands that have historically been populated by Lezgic, Iranic and Armenian groups, all of whom have history dating back at minimum from the Bronze age, and your crimes in Artsakh, eliminating the Armenians who have been there for 5 millenniums, are no better than Serbian crimes in Kosovo, who also tried to do the exact same thing.
riquelm@reddit
Albanians from Caucasus confirmed
SnooSuggestions4926@reddit
Fuck is that muslim brothers shit?!? Only brother an albanian has is another albanian. Get out of here with that stupid bullshit. And we wear plis not fez. Its an autochthonous balkan woollen hat. Ofc theres similarities to other woollen hats around the globe but only contact we ever had with anything persian/west asian was when ottomans came.
Porphyres@reddit
The pilos (gr: ÏáżÎ»ÎżÏ) was worn by the ancient Greeks. Fez is different.
papa_CLaude@reddit
Yeah, albanians wear plis not fez
dardan06@reddit
Serbian hands did this picđ
humanistazazagrliti@reddit
Bosniak being asked if they're Basque due to wearing a beret:
super_pasrelle@reddit
I can relate It happened to me too once lol
wantmywings@reddit
How the fuck does the use of an item of clothing signify anything? The British wore pants. Are we British now?
Skt_turbo@reddit
Clothing alone doesnât define identity, thatâs true. But traditional items like the fez arenât random either they usually reflect historical influence, trade, or shared cultural history. Itâs not proof of anything, but itâs also not meaningless.
Worried-Owl-9198@reddit
Thank God someone rational
CROguys@reddit
Could you leave Iranian origin to us, guys? Thank you.
xerxesdidnothingwrong
Key-Concentrate806@reddit
Awebroetjie@reddit
Also used in South Africa
Ok_Permit_8736@reddit
Ottomans used it