What is "taqiyah"

The taqiyah (also spelled tagiya; / ALA-LC: ṭāqīyah, Turkish: "takke", Urdu, Hindi "topi"; / ALA-LC: “ṭopī”, tupi) is a short, rounded skullcap. They are often worn for religious purposes; for example, Muslims believe that Muhammad used to keep his head covered, therefore making it mustahabb (i.e., it is commendable to cover the head in order to emulate him). Muslims often wear them during the five daily prayers.

When worn by itself, the taqiyah can be any color. However, particularly in Arab countries, when worn under the keffiyeh headscarf, they are kept in a traditional white. Some Muslims wrap a turban around the cap, called an amamah in Arabic, which is often done by Shia and Sufi Muslims. In the United States and Britain taqiyas are usually referred to as " kufis".

Topi is a type of taqiyah cap that is worn in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other regions of South Asia. Many different types of topi caps exist including, the Sindhi cap, worn in Sindh and the crochet topi that is often worn at Muslim prayer services, see salat.

The topi cap is often worn with salwar kameez, which is the national costume of Pakistan.