Taj-e Haydari

The Taj-i Haydari (تاج حیدر, "Haydar's Crown"), was a type of headdress introduced circa 1501–1502 during the early Safavid era in Iran, when the future Shah Ismail captured Tabriz.^[1] The headdress consisted in a cap with a tall red projection, often wrapped in a white turban around its base. The tall red projection has 12 sides, in memory of the twelve Shiite imams (a symbol of Twelver Shi'ism), and may be complemented by a red plume in the center.^[2]

Taj-i Haydari, with and without turban. Dastan-i Jamal u Jalal, 1502–1505, Tabriz (Uppsala University Library, O Nova 2)

The headdress was originally invented by, and named after Shaykh Haydar (1456–1488), father of Ismail I, founder of the Safavid dynasty.^[1] According to a legend, Haydar saw the new headdress in a dream.^[2]

The Taj-i Haydari became a rallying sign for the new dynasty, and is also a chronological marker for artistic works of the period.^[1][2] The Taj-i Haydari is the reason why the partisans of the Safavids were called "Qizil bash" ("Red head") by the Turks.^[2]

This headgear differed from the Turkman taqiya, which consisted in a kolah conical cap with a turban. The Mughal Tāj-i 'Izzat may also have been created in response to the Taj-i Haydari.