Qeleshe

The qeleshe, also known as plis and qylat,[1] is a white brimless felt skull cap traditionally worn by Albanians.

[2] According to Vladimir Orel, the word plis comes from Proto-Albanian *p(i)litja, related to Old High German filiz id., Latin pellis id.

Then, an instrument similar to a bow is used to beat the wool by hammering the string with a stone or a sturdy piece of wood.

A monument from Illyrian times that was found in Zenica shows a calotte-shaped cap, very similar to the qeleshe.

The Albanian/Illyrian cap has been classified in a broader and general Mediterranean framework, relying on illustrations on situlae and girdle plates from the later Iron Age in Northern Italy and the Southern Alps.

The wearers of such caps are depicted carrying agricultural tools which leads to consider them as country people.

[11] Furthermore, in monuments from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD from Bosnia, Illyrians under Roman rule are depicted with similar cap shapes.

In the 18-19 century, the qeleshe became popularly depicted in painting depicting Arnaut, painters like Jean-Léon Gérôme, Charles Bargue and Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier would paint Albanian subjects of the Osman Empire with the qeleshe, as a diverse presentation of the orient.

During the 19-20 century, Albanologists started taking photographs of Albanian national attires, many of which would include the qeleshe.

It then became a popular headdress for Albanian soldiers to wear during the battle for independence, Shota Galica, Isa Boletini and Azem Galica are depicted wearing the qeleshe while fighting Italian, Turkish, Greek, Serbian and Montenegrin troops during the Partition of Albania.

The qeleshe formed part of the official uniform of the Waffen-SS Skanderbeg division and Albanian Legion.