Clothing in Afghanistan consists of the traditional style of clothing worn in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. The various cultural exchanges in the nation's history have influenced the styles and flavors of contemporary Afghan designs.
The national dress is the fusion of different ethnic groups in Afghanistan. The styles can be subdivided into the various
ethnicities
An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...
with unique elements for each. Traditional dresses for both men and women tend to cover the whole body, with trousers gathered at the waist, a loose shirt or dress, and some form of head covering.
Men's clothing
The
perahan tunban
''Perahan tunban'' (Persian/ ps, پیراهن و تنبان, ''pērāhan wa tunbān''), also known as Peran o Tunban, is a garment worn by men in Afghanistan and in some parts of Pakistan.
Design
Traditional
Perahan and Tunban
The ''perahan'' (t ...
is the standard traditional uniform dress for men, consisting of a
tunic
A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...
shirt, pants, and with (optional) head covering.
This dress originates from the Pashtun lands but its use spread to most of Afghanistan. It remains the predominant dress for male villagers. Some of the more famous varieties are the Kandahari Doozi and Herati Doozi styles. On the head is normally a
turban
A turban (from Persian دولبند, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...
(''lungi''):
they are worn all over the country, but the fabric, color and style varies region by region.
For example, an
Uzbek hat from the north of the country looks very different than a
Pashtun
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
hat worn in the south.
From a young age, boys often wear colorful caps with shiny "chips" of mirrors sewn into them.
The
karakul hat is made of sheep fur and is of typical Central Asian style. Normally worn by the more stylish or educated, these hats come in conservative colors.
The
chapan
Chapan ( fa, چپان; either from Persian Chapān which means old, threadbare and run-down costume or Chagatai chāpān itself from Persian Jobbe, from Arabic Jubba which means wrapper, cloak, coat, outer garment) is a coat worn over clothes, ...
coat is another cloth of Central Asian origin that provides warmth in the winter, made of striped
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
.
The chapan gained international recognition in the 2000s when Afghan president
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
always wore a green one.
Mercier. Soldat Afghan (Asie). Auguste Wahlen. Moeurs, usages et costumes de tous les peuples du monde.1843.jpg, An Afghan soldier wearing perahan tunban
''Perahan tunban'' (Persian/ ps, پیراهن و تنبان, ''pērāhan wa tunbān''), also known as Peran o Tunban, is a garment worn by men in Afghanistan and in some parts of Pakistan.
Design
Traditional
Perahan and Tunban
The ''perahan'' (t ...
, c. 1843
Афганец.jpg, Afghan security personnel in folk costume, c. 1867
Sher Ali Khan and company of Afghanistan in 1869.jpg, Sher Ali Khan
Sher Ali Khan (); c. 1825 – 21 February 1879) was Amir of Afghanistan from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 until his death in 1879. He was one of the sons of Dost Mohammed Khan, founder of the Barakzai dynasty in Afghanistan.
Life
Sher Ali Khan ...
and his company in 1869, all wearing Afghan attire
Gul Muhammad Khan of the Ghilzais.jpg, Leader of the Ghilzai
The Ghiljī ( ps, غلجي, ; fa, خیلجی, Xelji) also spelled Khilji, Khalji, or Ghilzai or Ghilzay (), are one of the largest Pashtun tribes. Their traditional homeland is Ghazni and Qalati Ghilji in Afghanistan but they have also settle ...
s, 1848
Men of northern Afghanistan preparing to vote in 2004.jpg, Men wearing Uzbek chapan
Chapan ( fa, چپان; either from Persian Chapān which means old, threadbare and run-down costume or Chagatai chāpān itself from Persian Jobbe, from Arabic Jubba which means wrapper, cloak, coat, outer garment) is a coat worn over clothes, ...
and turban
A turban (from Persian دولبند, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...
, 2004
Old men of Herat, Afghanistan.jpg, Old men in Herat
Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safēd ...
wearing perahan tunban, 2009
Waiting for the call from the Referee (5458864264).jpg, Fur
Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
clothing by men during a game of buzkashi
Buzkashi (Pashto/ fa, بزکشی, lit=goat pulling) is a traditional Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a goat or calf carcass in a goal. It is played primarily in Afghanistan. Similar games are known as kokpar, k ...
Afghanistan man2.jpg, Man in perahan tunban and a ''taqiyah
In Shi'ism, ''Taqiya'' or ''Taqiyya'' ( ar, تقیة ', literally "prudence, fear")R. STROTHMANN, MOKTAR DJEBLI. Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed, Brill. "TAKIYYA", vol. 10, p. 134. Quote: "TAKIYYA "prudence, fear" ..denotes dispensing with th ...
'' (Islamic) cap
Hazara man, Khulm.jpg, A man wearing Hazara style turban
Women's clothing
Traditional women's dresses are always long
and are made from light
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
s and are loose fitting for ease of movement. They come in many colors and have stitching for details. Most traditional clothing are colorful, except for the
Nuristan
Nuristan, also spelled as Nurestan or Nooristan (Dari: ; Kamkata-vari language, Kamkata-vari: ), is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country. It is divided into seven Districts of Afghanistan, districts ...
dress.
More elaborate and fancier dresses are detailed with gold threading (
Zardozi
Zardozi or zar-douzi or zarduzi (from Classical Persian زَردوزی ''zardōzī'', literally "gold embroidery"; fa, label=Modern Persian, زَردوزی, translit=zarduzi; hi, ज़रदोज़ी, tg, зардӯзӣ, ur, زردوزی ...
), gold beads, and come in many different colors on
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...
fabrics. These dresses are usually worn to special occasions and weddings.
They are usually of heavy design and filled with small mirrors around the chest area, along with long and pleated skirts.
Most Afghans are
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
and virtually all Afghan women wear a head covering based on the local interpretation of religious laws. Most women wear a
hijab
In modern usage, hijab ( ar, حجاب, translit=ḥijāb, ) generally refers to headcoverings worn by Muslim women. Many Muslims believe it is obligatory for every female Muslim who has reached the age of puberty to wear a head covering. While ...
or
chador
A chādor (Persian, ur, چادر, lit=tent), also variously spelled in English as chadah, chad(d)ar, chader, chud(d)ah, chadur, and naturalized as , is an outer garment or open cloak worn by many women in the Persian-influenced countries of Ira ...
as a covering. Some wear a ''chadari'', better known in the West as
burqa
A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
.
In a few places like
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
, Western dresses like
jeans
Jeans are a type of pants or trousers made from denim or dungaree cloth. Often the term "jeans" refers to a particular style of trousers, called "blue jeans", with copper-riveted pockets which were invented by Jacob W. Davis in 1871 and paten ...
are often worn. From the 1960s to 1990s, more liberal forms of female dress like
miniskirt
A miniskirt (sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, separated as mini skirt, or sometimes shortened to simply mini) is a skirt with its hemline well above the knees, generally at mid-thigh level, normally no longer than below the buttocks; and a ...
s were popular among some communities in Kabul.
Ladies of the royal harem enjoying an Afghan meal. Kabul Wellcome L0028379.jpg, Ladies of the royal harem wearing firaq partug
Firaq partug is the traditional clothing of khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also worn in Balochistan, Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. The dress originally comes from ancient Scythians who were the ancestors of pashtuns. The styles vary according to regio ...
, 19th century
Kandahar Lady of ranks.jpg, Woman of Kandahar wearing khet partug
Khetpartug ( ps, خت پړتوګ, ''khət paṛtūg'') ''khat partoog'', is a type of Pashtun clothing worn in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Origin
Khetpartug is believed to have originated in Afghanistan.
Design
Khet
The ''khet'' is the upper ...
, 1841
Uzbek Children at Kabul intercontinental Hotel.jpg, Uzbek girls in Kabul
Two women in Turkoman dress Wellcome L0038142.jpg, Two women in Turkmen dress
Zohre Esmaeli 1.jpg, A female model in traditional Afghan dress
Burqa in Kabul, Afghanistan.jpg, Burqa
A burqa or a burka, or , and ur, , it is also transliterated as burkha, bourkha, burqua or burqu' or borgha' and is pronounced natively . It is generally pronounced in the local variety of Arabic or variety of Persian, which varies. Examp ...
-clad women
Hazara girl.jpg, A girl in Hazara dress
Pashai girl in Afghanistan, wearing distinctive Pashai clothing.jpg, A girl in Pashayi dress
Nomadic Kuchi people.jpg, Nomadic kuchi
Kochis or Kuchis (Pashto: کوچۍ Kuchis) are pastoral nomads belonging primarily to the Ghilji Pashtuns. In the southern, western and northern regions of Afghanistan they are also referred to at times as maldar (Pashto: مالدار maldar, ...
woman
Choker necklace, Afghanistan, mid to late 20th century, silver, glass, lapis - Fernbank Museum of Natural History - DSC09956.JPG, A choker
A choker is a close-fitting necklace worn around the neck, typically 14 inch to 16 inch in length. Chokers can be made of a variety of materials, including velvet, plastic, beads, latex, leather, metal, such as silver, gold, or platinum, etc. The ...
necklace from Afghanistan made from silver and lapis
Culture and society
Clothes are usually stitched by hand. Girls start learning
embroidery
Embroidery is the craft of decorating fabric or other materials using a needle to apply thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. In modern days, embroidery is usually seen on c ...
from an early age and skills are normally passed down from mothers to daughters. Each dress created by a woman can be seen as a unique piece of art.
Certain attire have special significance, for example in some Pashtun or
Baloch cultures in southern Afghanistan, a boy marks his start of adulthood by being allowed to wear a turban.
Politics
The clothing of Afghanistan gained wide attention in the Western world following the
U.S. invasion and fall of the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state (polity), state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalism, Islamic fundamentalist, m ...
regime, under which ultraconservative dress like the burqa was made compulsory. Especially,
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
gained popularity for his creative style blending various attire of Afghanistan.
In September 2021, Afghan women launched an online campaign protesting against the Taliban's strict dress code after the militants took power.
Also notably, a photo taken in Kabul in 1972 showing local women in miniskirts was reportedly shown to then-President
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
of the United States by
H. R. McMaster
Herbert Raymond McMaster (born July 24, 1962) is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as the 25th United States National Security Advisor from 2017 to 2018. He is also known for his roles in the Gulf War, Operation Endurin ...
, which persuaded Trump to keep
American toops in Afghanistan.
Western and hippie appeal
Sheepskin
Sheepskin is the Hide (skin), hide of a Domestic sheep, sheep, sometimes also called lambskin. Unlike common leather, sheepskin is Tanning (leather), tanned with the Wool, fleece intact, as in a Fur, pelt.Delbridge, Arthur, "The Macquarie Dictiona ...
Afghan coat
An Afghan coat is a sheepskin or goatskin coat made with the fleece on the inside and the soft suede-like leather on the outside. It is a development of the traditional overcoat of the Afghan people, which could be anywhere from jacket- to ankl ...
s became popular in the Western world during the late 1960s;
John Lennon
John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
famously wore one during the launch of his band's ''
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'' album in London. The Afghan coat became a popular dress in the
hippie
A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
subculture Afghanistan itself was on the
hippie trail
Hippie trail (also the overland) is the name given to the overland journey taken by members of the hippie subculture and others from the mid-1950s to the late 1970s between Europe and South Asia, mainly from Turkey through Iran, Afghanistan ...
and such coats were often bought by foreigners in Kabul's
Chicken Street
Chicken Street ( prs, کوچه مرغ ''Koch-e Murgha'') is a narrow street located in the Shahr-e Naw district of Kabul east of the Asamayi. It has been an iconic shopping street in the city and popular with foreigners, famous for its carpets, ...
.
See also
*
Pashtun clothing
As a chiefly rural and tribal population, the Pashtun dress of Afghanistan and Pakistan are typically made from light linens, and are loose fitting for ease of movement. The Pashtun clothes are differently made for males and females.
Pashtun men ...
*
Khet partug
Khetpartug ( ps, خت پړتوګ, ''khət paṛtūg'') ''khat partoog'', is a type of Pashtun clothing worn in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Origin
Khetpartug is believed to have originated in Afghanistan.
Design
Khet
The ''khet'' is the upper ...
*
Firaq partug
Firaq partug is the traditional clothing of khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also worn in Balochistan, Pakistan and part of Afghanistan. The dress originally comes from ancient Scythians who were the ancestors of pashtuns. The styles vary according to regio ...
*
Hazara clothing
References
{{Afghan clothing
History of Asian clothing
Afghan culture
Pashtun culture
vi:Trang phục Afghanistan