Turkic History and Uniforms/Fashion: Scout Movement in the Ottoman Empire and the Turkish Republic
Photos of Turkish Scouts, mostly from 1930s-40s.
The Scout Movement is accepted to have been established in 1907 by Robert Baden-Powell, and officially around 1910-12 in the Ottoman Empire.
However, there are documents and photos dating back to 1904 in the Ottoman Empire about a Movement founded by Tevfik Efendi which was very similiar to the Scout Movement, that is why some people count this as the first Scout Movement in the world.
The Scout Movement in the Ottoman Empire was called as "Keşşaflık".
After the fall of the Empire, when the Republic of Turkey was formed, the name was changed into "İzcilik", which is the name used to this day.
The Turkish Republic in its Early Era gave much importance to Scouting.
The Ottoman Turkish Scout uniforms (especially the hats) were changed and modernized.
You can see some of the pre-modernized Scout Uniforms of the Ottoman Turks in the last 2 photos; they had long sticks which later were not very used. They wore hats officially called as "Enveriye" but were known as "Kabalak" by the Common People, which were later worn by some Units of the Ottoman Army in WWI.
Those hats were abolished and instead came the brimmed-hats.
The modernization and why the Scout Movement became so popular were thanks to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who himself was once a General Inspector of the Scout-Like Organisation called "Teen Ottomans Community".
In March 1, 1923, he accepted to be the Chief of the Istanbul Turkish Scout Association;
"MARCH 1, 1923 - Telegraph to the Governor's Office of Istanbul on the occasion of Atatürk's acceptance of the Chairmanship of the "Istanbul Turkish Scouts Association": "With a feeling of pride, I accept the Chief of the Istanbul Turkish Scouts Association, which I hope to raise young people with high character and strong spirit. I would like to convey my thanks and greetings to my young friends."
After the 1950s, the popularity of the Scout Movement decreased in Turkey.
The Scout Movement today led by the leader of Türkiye İzcilik Federasyonu (Scout Federation of Turkey) is criticized due to him being a snuff addict, his interest in firearms and the homophobia he shares on his social medias.
Hopefully, the Turkish Scouts can achieve the glory and the importance they had in the early years of the Republic!
(Most of the photos are from the Archives of the Turkish author and researcher Nuray Bilgili)
I might share more of Turkish Scout photos in the future with this text.
