Headscarf

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A Uygur woman from the Xinjiang province of China wares a scarf  in the other popular fashion, in which the ends tied behind her head.
A Uygur woman from the Xinjiang province of China wares a scarf in the other popular fashion, in which the ends tied behind her head.

Headscarves are scarves covering most or all of the top of a woman’s hair and her head.

Headscarves may be worn for a variety of purposes; this article describes the headscarf used for:

  • fashion or social distinction
  • religious purposes
  • modesty; social convention
For other uses, see headgear

Headscarves may have specific religious significance. Married Jewish women, for example, are required to cover their heads, often employing scarves for the purpose.

Headscarves and veils used for Muslim religious dress include:

An Iraqi girl sports a headscarf for her Islamic hijab.
An Iraqi girl sports a headscarf for her Islamic hijab.

Controversy

Other headscarves:

Sometimes foreigners use the word "babushka" (grandma in Russian) to indicate the headscarf tied below the chin, as commonly used in Eastern Europe. In most parts of Eastern Europe (with some exception of Muslim countries, such as Bosnia and Albania) headscarves are used mainly by elderly ladies (grandmothers) and this led the incorrect use of the "babushka" term. In Russia they are often worn by young girls to show their convictions to Russian Orthodoxy.

 Turkish women in eastern Turkey wearing headscarves in the wide spread 'babushka' style.
Turkish women in eastern Turkey wearing headscarves in the wide spread 'babushka' style.
The hijab worn by a girl in Kargil, Kashmir.
The hijab worn by a girl in Kargil, Kashmir.
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