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The basics of the traditional clothes of Afghanistan, a necessary path to really put ourselves in Pashtun shoes by discovering their dress code. Ah, there is also, in summary, the history of the burqa.
Male dress code
Small clarification: in Afghanistan there are various ethnic groups, each with its own precise dress code and strongly linked to its origins. For obvious reasons we would not be able to talk to you in a single article of all the varieties, so today we will focus mainly on those of the Pashtuns, the majority population of the country.
Khet Partug and Perahan Tunban
Always very close to the customs and traditions of India and Pakistan, Afghanistan has as its reference figure the shalwar kameez, a combination of clothes typical of this area and which over the centuries has increasingly adapted to the various territories and countries . The base is always based on two principles: two pieces and very comfortable clothes. It is no coincidence, in fact, that many “dresses” are actually combinations between the upper and lower part, but always worn together.
Within the Pashtun world, in particular, there are 2 versions of the shalwar kameez: the Khet Partug and the Perhana Tunban. The first is characterized by having many folds, the second by being typical of western Afghanistan and having buttons on both shoulders. The peculiarity of the Afghan man is then to wear a hat, extremely present in the local culture and very different from each other in terms of history, quality and design.
Female dress code
As for men, the variety in clothing is mainly linked to the history of this country and its craftsmanship. In fact, there is not a large number of varieties in single garments, which over the centuries allowed women to fully customize what they wore. De facto, among the Pashtuns there are two typically feminine garments: the Firaq Partug and the Burqa. The first corresponds to a female version of the Khet Partug, with the difference, however, of often having metal ornaments. These can be integrated with the veil or not at your choice and strongly depend on the personal taste of the wearer.
The burqa, contrary to what is said, is as typical of these lands as the Firaq Partug, having more or less contemporary origins. This dress, in fact, was introduced for the first time by the Medes, the Iranian population who first united Central Asia. It seems that it was the dress of the princesses and for this reason it developed above all in urban centers and in palaces up to the 1950s. once they have come to power, to transform it also into a symbol of class struggle.The phenomenon of the burqa therefore remains linked above all to local traditions, independent of true religious dynamics that are completely absent in the minds of every fundamentalist.
Tomorrow an italian podcast dedicated to Evliya Çelebi, Turkish Herodotus and the article with the basics of Afghan carpets, do not miss them.
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