TURBAN HELMET
This distinctive headpiece was one of the most recognisable symbols of the Ottoman Empire’s power during the Early Modern Period
A decorative 17th-century Ottoman headpiece
Originating in Ottoman Turkey in the Late Middle Ages, turban helmets had a bulbous appearance that imitated the folds of a turban. Early examples were conical in shape but they increasingly became more elaborate in design. Many of them also included an aventail, which was a curtain of chain mail that attached to the main skull of the helmet. The aventail protected the lower half of the face and neck while also enabling the wearer to move their head more freely compared with full plate-metal helmets such as the bascinet.
The turban helm pictured here dates from the 15th-16th century and represents the growing strength of the Ottoman Empire during that period. Sultan Mehmed II famously destroyed the Byzantine Empire when he conquered Constantinople in 1453 before Suleiman the Magnificent (r.1520-66) ruled vast territories. These included large parts of the Middle East and North Africa while the Ottomans made great advances into Central Europe.
All of these successes made the Ottoman Empire extremely wealthy and powerful. Its glory can be seen in the helmet, which is not just made of steel and iron but also silver and copper alloy. The bottom band has an inscription with a verse from the Quran while the aventail is attached with a lead seal. This seal is stamped with the mark of the Ottoman arsenal in Constantinople and suggests that the helmet was taken as a prize during the Ottoman conquests of Persia (modernday Iran) and the Caucasus during the early 16th century. It is possible that it was manufactured in Shirvan, a historical Iranian region that became a vassal Ottoman territory.