Correspondent: 3 - 2 - 1, Go!
The Sudanese turban ('imma) is a variety of ancient Arab clothing
From a historical perspective, kings of the ancient Sudanese civiliztions such as Meroe and others
used to wear caps and turbans as crowns, designed in such a way to denote the king's status,
and it had some artistic symbols such as the snake and the cat and many others.
In the Funj Sultanate, however, their turban had two side prominences called "the two-horned turban"
which denotes prestigious affiliation.
On the African side, the Baggara tribes designed their turbans after animal figures,
mainly as a symbol of courage, gallantry and valor.
There was a fusion that brought together the African and the Arabic culture.
When the Arabs first came to Sudan, they wore turbans and the traditional Arabic robe.
Sudanese people living in pastoral areas, wore materials that were available to them.
They dressed in such a way that most of their bodies were covered,
they mostly used fabrics imported from rural Egypt.
At a later stage, they used locally woven cottons to create the simplest known traditional garb, the "Arragi".
Then came the Mahdist revolution and brought along the cloak, commonly known as "Jibba",
and they would wear it with turbans of different colors depending on the status of the prince and so on.
In essence, the turban is an attempt to create an aesthetically pleasing look and to denote status.
Aditionally, it aids in providing protection against the burning heat of the sun,
akin to the cowboy's hat in western culture!
But it didn't carry a lot of importance for the average Sudanese,
that is until the advent of urbanization and capitalism,
when a person's status became increasingly proportional to the size of his turban!
It was regarded as a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
More often than not, the turban was regarded as a sign of distinction;
many celebrities wore their turbans in such unique styles, that it became a source of recognition and a hallmark.
Generally speaking, to tie a turban you'll first need a cap.
It should cover the head like so, and this will help anchor the turban.
Back in the day the cap alone would suffice for most,
and a fancy turban was the thing of wealthy merchants and aristocrats.
First, take one end of the fabric and tuck it in at the back like so.
By the way, this is my own personal method which I've adopted lately after returning from Europe.
You'll need a visual estimate to get the right balance for your turban.
Now you wrap it all the way around like so,
at this point, you flip it over like this,
warp it all the way around and back again and so on.
This is my way, but there are many different ways, some of which are quite distinctive such as
those adopted by the Mahdists, the Ansar sect and the Khatmiyya sect.
This is how I do it. And finally, just tuck it in like this.
Now if the turban is exceptionally large, it needs to be executed in a different manner.
It needs to be meticulously aligned,
that's why artists and musicians who wear enormous turbans with 7 or 10 meters of fabric,
need about 15-30 minutes to tie their turbans!
It's been speculated that they might even have it wrapped and ready by the door to strap on and go.
For these plus-size turbans to uphold their shape, one will need to employ special durable fabrics.
There are various types of turbans worldwide, the Sikh for instance, wear a turban that looks firm and steady.
It is curiously worth noting that the British colonists during their occupation of Sudan,
they improvised a headgear that looked eerily similar to the Sudanese turban in an attempt to assimilate into the culture.
At the end of the day, the turban really is a symbol of poise, affluence and power.
Some will even tell you that only a poor fellow will allow himself to be seen in a shabby looking turban.
While a sparkling white turban, on the other hand, speaks to the person's status.
Correspondent: Did you wear it while in Europe?
Actually I did on occasions, special events and the like.
And in New york as well, I wore it to one of my exhibitions there.
I truly take pride in our Sudanese costume, and in particular the ones I design.
Ever since the times of the Funj, Sudanese costumes didn't undergo much change.
I introduced some of the first modern interpretations of the traditional male costume,
while women's costumes underwent continuous changes over the years in keeping with the latest trends.
As for men, this was a first.
When I was a little child, all I wanted was to grab a crayon and draw on people's clothes!
They had these huge white robes that looked like a blank canvas and I couldn't resist.
And when I make an attempt, they get really mad and tell me off for ruining their garments.
But you see, this white color becomes a nuisance to me when it's in abundance
especially for an artist like myself with a knack for coloring!
- Dr. Rashid: is that it? - Correspondent: that's it!