The Imam Who Makes Turbans for Other Imams

Muris ef. Šehić is one of the few imams in Bosnia and Herzegovina who makes turbans for other imams in the country and abroad, writes the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

The white cap worn by every imam has been a religious symbol for Muslims for centuries. It symbolizes purity in all that imams say and do. The prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him), also said that for a person, the best clothing is clean and light.

There are different types of turbans around the world, although they are essentially very similar to each other with very small differences in shape. It is said that imams in BiH wear "Bosnian turbans," which, in turn, depending on the style of creation and wrapping, can be Sarajevan, Visoko, or turbans typical for some other region in the country.

And since imams wear turbans daily, and their religious service is unimaginable without them, the turban often gets dirty and needs to be cleaned.

- An imam must clean and re-wrap the turban at least twice a year – explains ef. Šehić. However, cleaning and wrapping it is not a simple task for many, and only a few know the secrets of this craft.

- I have to be in the mood when I wrap the turban. If I'm not in a good mood, I can't wrap even one all day – says ef. Šehić, who is also helped in this work by his wife Jasmina. It was she who persuaded him to start learning this interesting, almost extinct craft five years ago. His greatest wish is for the reis-ul-ulema, the head of the Islamic Community in BiH, to wear his turban.

The turban consists of several parts: the fez, a base that is placed around the fez, and the white cloth, which is wrapped around the fez in concentric circles and can sometimes be up to 20 meters long, depending on the size of the imam's head who will wear the turban.

- We leave openings on the fez itself for ventilation due to sweating, so that the hair and skin can "breathe." In addition, we line the inside of the fez in our turbans with fabric and leather, all in order to prevent the turban from being discolored, i.e., to keep the white surface clean for as long as possible – says Šehić.

Today, Šehić is one of the most famous "wrappers" of turbans in the country. Many well-known imams in BiH wear his turbans, as well as in other countries in Europe and America.

- When my wife was still a girl, she overheard a conversation between two women complaining that their imam had a dirty turban. She had no idea that she would end up married to an imam, and that one day she would be wrapping turbans – says ef. Šehić, writes Patria.