Songkok

Sukarno in the oven.

Songkok ( indon. Songkok ; also indon. Peci furnace ) ^[1] - a traditional headdress in Indonesia , Brunei , Malaysia , Singapore , the southern Philippines and Thailand among the Muslim population. Songkok has the shape of a truncated cone, made of black felt, cotton or velvet. In Malaysia and the Philippines, Songkok is primarily associated with Islam , while in Indonesia it is associated with the nationalist secular movement ^[2] .

Songkok is believed to have its origin in Ottoman fez , but the exact time of its appearance in Southeast Asia is unknown. According to one Brunei newspaper, it appeared in the region during the spread of Islam in the 13th century ^[3] , but this point of view is considered erroneous. The earliest written mention of the word “Songkok” is in the poem “Syair Siti Zubaidah” (1840) ^[4] . In the Malay regiments, the Songkok became part of their military uniforms even under British rule ^[5] . In Indonesia, this headdress is considered one of the symbols of local nationalism, since it was worn by many leaders of nationalists of the 20th century (including Sukarno and Suharto ); Suharto actually made black velvet stoves the traditional men's headdress in the country ^[6] .

Songkok is also used in the heraldry of the Sulu Sultanate ^[7] .