CARAVANS & COMMISSARS

In the Caucasus, it is said that “if the head is intact, a papakha should be on it.” The papakha, or papaq, is a spherical sheepskin hat worn by men across the Turko-Persian world, which spans from the Caucasus mountains through the steppes of Central Asia to Afghanistan. Regional variations in the hats resulted from the distinct coloration and qualities of the sheep native to each region. For example, the shaggy papakhas worn in the Caucasus are most commonly made from the K