What are the loose fitting pants worn by some Kurdish fighters called?
May 21, 2021 2:37 AM Subscribe
Pictures of Kurdish fighters, often fighters in mountainous regions, are sometimes seen wearing loose fitting, baggy pants. Visually, they seem similar to what we might call "harem pants" but it's virtually impossible to find anything referencing their use by the Kurds. What do the Kurds call them and why do they use them? Example
salvar pronounced shall-war
I'm not sure exactly why they're worn but possibly modesty + ease of working + staying cool in the summer + they're super for sitting on the floor.
posted by beckish at 4:26 AM on May 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure exactly why they're worn but possibly modesty + ease of working + staying cool in the summer + they're super for sitting on the floor.
posted by beckish at 4:26 AM on May 21, 2021 [1 favorite]
This type of trouser is historically (and even currently!) common throughout the Balkans, the Middle East, the Muslim world, and parts of Eastern Europe. Different countries/ethnic groups have different variations on the name and the style - it's the "salwar" in "salwar kameez" for example.
As for why the Kurdish fighters wear them, I would bet it's part, "this is just the way we like to wear our pants" (they are really comfortable) and part Kurdish national/ethnic identity. These pants are historically part of Turkish national dress as well but at the time of the establishment of the Turkish state under Atatürk they were discouraged in favor of more Western clothing (as far as I know they weren't actually outlawed, like fezes and turbans were under the Hat Law of 1925).
There's also a history of even Western soldiers wearing this type of trouser - see the Zouaves and the Cossacks. I think they're supposed to be good for horseback riding (lots of range of motion compared to a fitted Western trouser).
I'm not any kind of expert, though, I just like learning about clothes!
posted by mskyle at 4:30 AM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
As for why the Kurdish fighters wear them, I would bet it's part, "this is just the way we like to wear our pants" (they are really comfortable) and part Kurdish national/ethnic identity. These pants are historically part of Turkish national dress as well but at the time of the establishment of the Turkish state under Atatürk they were discouraged in favor of more Western clothing (as far as I know they weren't actually outlawed, like fezes and turbans were under the Hat Law of 1925).
There's also a history of even Western soldiers wearing this type of trouser - see the Zouaves and the Cossacks. I think they're supposed to be good for horseback riding (lots of range of motion compared to a fitted Western trouser).
I'm not any kind of expert, though, I just like learning about clothes!
posted by mskyle at 4:30 AM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
My family calls them “Shalvar Kurdi”, acknowledging their Kurdish origins. We wear them when we’re doing a lot of physical movement/squatting and they’re also wonderful for sitting on the floor - which we do a lot of - as traditionally, our communities relax, eat meals and take tea breaks seated on the floor.
posted by travelingthyme at 8:05 AM on May 21, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by travelingthyme at 8:05 AM on May 21, 2021 [8 favorites]
A note that "shalvar" literally just means pants in Persian, and presumably means the same in Kurdish and across the region. A generic word for pants. Not a type of pants.
posted by shaademaan at 9:18 AM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
posted by shaademaan at 9:18 AM on May 21, 2021 [4 favorites]
The version I'm familiar with is more colourful, called sharovary -- historically worn by cossacks in Ukraine.
posted by Pwoink at 7:06 PM on May 22, 2021
posted by Pwoink at 7:06 PM on May 22, 2021
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