Damascus: Cap Makers

Arabic: Qalānisiyyīn

Date: Twelfth to sixteenth centuries

These artisans made tall caps that were the shape of sugar loaves, and which were meant to be worn underneath turbans. They had a mosque, bath, and market. The last of these was located near the markets of the weavers and the cotton merchants on Straight Street. Information is drawn from the work of Ibn ʿAsakir (d. 1176), al-Nuʿaymi (d. 1521), al-Hadi (d. 1503), and al-Almawi (d. 1573). See also: Tarboosh polishers; Felt makers.

Citation: Elisséeff, Nikita. “Corporations de Damas sous Nūr al-Dīn: Matériaux pour une topographie économique de Damas au XIIe siècle”, Arabica 3.1 (1956): p. 70.