When a woman wore her hair in a single braid down her back, she could tie a jeweled tassel of gold or silver chains, a saçbağı, to the end. (It’s pronounced “sach-baah-ih.”) The 17th-century poet Karacaoğlan hints at the evocative power of the saçbağı:
As she wakes up in the morning, praises herself
Golden saçbağı reaches her heels . . .
I will buy you a golden saçbağı
Gather it up and wrap around your slender waist . . .
Karac’oğlan praises and praises her
Her golden saçbağı reaches her heels
I will buy golden saçbağı for your braids
Attach it to your hair, hang it up from your waist, bride1
In the drawing below, the woman on the right has a saçbağı tied to the end of her braid. The diamond-shaped pieces are pieces of flat metal, probably gold or silver.
