Fez

A traditional brimless hat, usually felt, that is cylindrical or shaped like a truncated cone and dyed deep red or maroon. Many fezzes are topped with a black tassel that hangs from the crown. The fez, similar to what Arabic-speaking communities call the tarboosh, became associated with the Ottoman Empire, where it was introduced in the early 19th century under Sultan Mahmud II as part of modernizing reforms. It replaced the turban as official headgear for soldiers and civil servants, symbolizing equality because it lacked the class distinctions tied to different turban styles. From the Ottoman Empire, it spread widely across the Middle East, North Africa, and the Balkans.