Region
Kurdistan-wide
The pûşî — also called cemedanî — is a distinctive Kurdish headscarf with geometric red, black and white patterns on a chequered grid. It differs from the Arab keffiyeh in its richer ornamental motifs and sharper colours. Men wrap it around the head as a loose turban, its corners falling on the shoulders; women wear it as a scarf around head and neck on festival days. The pûşî became a symbol of Kurdish political identity in the second half of the twentieth century, especially in the green-yellow-red of the flag. Kurdish politicians often present a pûşî as official gift to foreign visitors.