I always wear a wide brimmed hat when I travel - avoid the sun and hair styling worries at the same time!
I know women need to cover their heads with a scarf inside churches...but would a hat replace that? I can always take the hat off and wear the scarf but I'm just curious.
Also, I have an 11 year old daughter. At what age will the head scarf be required?
Thanks,
Natalie
Scarf. As fr as daughter is concerned, does she look older than 11? I have been told that once one has her period, it's required.
Absolutely a scarf. This shows respect for their culture and beliefs. We saw no female in any type of a hat inside the mosques during our trip last year. As best my wife and I can remember, we believe girls of your daughter's age were wearing a scarf also. Again, it is a simple matter of respect.
Since scarves are thin and lightweight, you and your daughter should always have one while walking around in Turkey. That way, you can just pop in to any mosque that you want to see. Just as with churches in Italy, some of the most interesting mosques are not the touted ones, but the ones you just happen upon with no tourists inside.
Women who choose to (and young girls even more) will certainly go outside without a scarf, but not into mosques. Start out with one lightweight scarf per female in your arsenal; you may find yourself buying more as you go, since they make good souvenirs, especially with hand-crocheted lace.
If you aren't dressed correctly then don't worry as all touristic mosques now provide scarves and long skirts for women to put on.But...check out the hundreds of gorgeous pashmina's on sale in Istanbul,buy a few,use them for mosque visits-and then give them to friends as holiday gifts :) BTW,yes,your daughter should also cover her head,even little girls of 6 and 7 are better to be covered rather than risk upsetting someone.
Respect the culture. Both you and your daughter will need to wear scarves. It's fabulous you are exposing your child to international travel as such a young age. Turkey is such an intriguing country. Have a wonderful trip!
of course no, you should wear only scarf, it`s tradition
and you should follow it
Here's a link to appropriate dress for mosque visits: http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/Religion/mosque_etiquette.html. The pictures shown are exactly what we saw outside the Blue Mosque when we were in Istanbul. Be sure to read the detail.
For more pictures, including ones inside the mosque, do a Google images search for something like "blue mosque dress". At least one of the pictures I saw actually had a line through a women with a hat. It also had a picture of a woman in a hoody with a line through it, contrary to what the above link says. I think that may be because her hair was spilling out.
It really is easy to bring a lightweight scarf with you sightseeing. And I believe that your daughter will also need a scarf. They are provided at the bigger mosques but we always brought our own.
Thanks for the input! The trip was wonderful and it was fascinating to see such a historical city. We did wear the scarves as we always follow the rules and it was super easy. My 11 was given a scarf and she wore it. I'm not sure of the age that a scarf becomes necessary but it was part of the experience.
I did find out that you are to cover your hair, not just your head, which is the difference between wearing a hat and a scarf - just for curiosity's sake!
tannerns88, thank you so much for returning to your thread to let us know how things turned out! It's always appreciated...
