Borik

Turkmen skullcaps ( they call those the tahya) come in all shapes and varieties, depending on the era of production, area of residence, age and sex of the owner. the tahya is associated with numerous marriage rites; it would be put on the baby's head, and removed from the head of the already deceased old man. Even the papakh (Turkmen’s telpek) is worn over the tahya. However, such high headdress now you can find, perhaps, only in museums or antique shops. Made of durable cotton fabric, tahya is skillfully hand embroidered with colorful silk thread across the crown, and the tip is made of blue satin. This tahya was made in the middle of the 19th century, and purchased in our time, on the bazaar of Istanbul, which receives antiques from all over Central Asia. It used to be worn by the not married women, obviously, whom the headdress’ height added slenderness. Well, after the wedding tahya would be passed on to the younger sister or daughter. Turkmenistam, 19th cent.