Yağmurluk
The yağmurluk, literally “raincoat,” was an overcoat worn only by men as, yes, a raincoat. There are several references to their being made of felt.
Category: Proper Names
Kapama
The kapama was a type of full-length overcoat. It wasn’t very popular; in the estate records there were only 14 kapamas in Galata and 18 in Uskudar, and three of those were the ambiguous “kapama kaftan.”
Kürk
Many garments are listed in the estate records simply as “fur,” kürk. I suspect this was a catchall term for any overcoat lined with fur.
Çuka/Çuha
Literally “wool broadcloth,” a çuka or çuha was an overcoat made of, yes, wool broadcloth. Wool broadcloth was a top-quality fabric whose cost could rival that of many silks, a mainstay of any gentleman’s or lady’s wardrobe (as well as the winter wear of any less well-to-do person who could…
Kürdiyye
Literally “Kurdish,” the kürdiyye overcoat was popular among both sexes in the later part of the century. It was so popular, in fact, that it’s bizarre that we have no good description of it. Standards set by the marketplace governors make it clear that by 1624, it came down to…
Kebe
Literally the term for a type of thick felt, kebe was also a name for an overcoat made of felt. As the cheapest and least sturdy form of wool cloth, felt was generally a working-class fabric, though some forms of felt–like Yanbolu kebe, a famously hairy and high-quality felt made…
Ağrız
The ağrız is a mystery garment worn by very poor male agricultural laborers (all but one of the recorded wearers are escaped slaves) and made of the mystery fabric “ağrız,” which was probably a variety of felt. As igriz (or rarely agriz), it appears in Ottoman-era 16th-century Hungarian customs records. It’s…
Nezkeb
The nezkeb–or nezkep, mezkep, or mezkeb, among dozens of other pronunciations–is something of a mystery. It’s a decorative and often highly valuable scarf worn as part of a woman’s headdress. Records from the imperial workshops suggest nezkebs were woven to half the width of standard cloth; marketplace price lists record…
Edik
The edik was a low shoe, much like a modern babouche, that was the standard street footwear for people who didn’t need serious foot protection. It was worn over a soft leather sock called a mest or iç edik.
Mest or Iç Edik
For most people, the first layer of footwear was a soft leather sock called a mest or an iç edik (inner shoe). It was worn indoors. To go outside, people slipped the mest into an edik, or outer shoe. Leather socks were one of the Arab innovations that traveled alongside…