Kalpak

The first information about the clothes of the ancient Kyrgyz can be found in Chinese sources dating back to the Tang Dynasty. According to the Tan-Shu dynastic inscriptions, Kyrgyz chiefs “wear a headwear-“kunduz tebetei” in winter and a gold-rimmed kalpak in summer. The rest wear felt hats-kalpak. These features of the Kyrgyz people were mainly preserved until the beginning of the 20th century.

The oldest men's headwear is a white felt kalpak. There are 2 types of it among our people. The top of the 1st kalpak has a small slit, and the 2nd kalpak has a slit. In the field of the second type of kalpak, black cloth is usually printed with velvet or leather. The first type is embroidered.

Kalpak is a folk kalpak that symbolizes Ala-Too. In making it, the wool is finely ground and beaten. After drying and re-baking the fermented wool, the chalk is sown over and over again, pressed again and again, and the felt is hardened.

The Kyrgyz kalpak is a comfortable light kalpak that protects from the sun in the heat and from the cold in the cold. However, the structures of the kalpak, each color and each pattern have a different meaning.

The kalpak is made up of 4 matching fields. Together, the 4 fields represent Ala-Too, where the Kyrgyz people have lived for a long time. Therefore, it gives a symbol of our homeland. The kalpak is made of white felt, which symbolizes its holiness and purity. The kalpak is an ancient headwear. The person who wears it is rooted in the history of their ancestors and is closely connected with the traditions and culture of their people. This is the sanctity of the headwear-kalpak.