Culture of Afghanistan

See also:Pashtun culture,Turko-Persian culture,andIndo-Persian culture

Elements of Afghan culture including:tablaandharmoniummusical instruments, anAfghan carpet,teapot, andsheer piradessert

Theculture ofAfghanistanhas persisted for over threemillennia,tracing record to at least the time of theAchaemenid Empirein 500 BCE,and encompasses the cultural diversity of the nation. Afghanistan's culture is historically strongly connected to nearbyPersia,including the same religion, as the people of both countries have lived together for thousands of years. Its location at the crossroads ofCentral,SouthandWesternAsia historically made it a hub of diversity, dubbed by one historian as the "roundabout of the ancient world".

Afghanistan is a mostly tribal society with different regions of the country having their ownsubculture.Despite this, nearly allAfghansfollowIslamic traditions,celebrate the same holidays,dress the same,consume the samefood,listen to the samemusicand aremulti-lingualto a certain extent. Its culture is strongly tied with elements ofCentral Asian,which can be seen in the likes of language, cuisine or classical music.

Afghan culture is increasingly becoming a dynamic realm of academic study in scholarly terms.In more recent history, Afghan culture has been threatened and fragmented due to theprolonged conflictin the country.

History

See also:History of Afghanistan

Music and dance

Main article:Music of Afghanistan

Afghan musicians inFarah, Afghanistan.

Traditionally, only men have been involved in theater acting. Recently, in theater arts, women have begun to take center stage.

Since the 1980s, the nation has witnessed several wars so music has been suppressed and recording for outsiders minimal. During the 1990s, theTaliban governmentbanned instrumental music and much public music-making. Many musicians and singers continued to play their trade in the cities of other countries. Pakistani cities such asPeshawar,KarachiandIslamabadare important centers for the distribution of Afghan music. Kabul has long been the regional cultural capital, but outsiders have tended to focus on the cities ofHeratandMazar-e-Sharifwith itsQataghanistyle.Lyricsacross the country are typically in bothDari-PersianandPashto,Uzbeki,Hazaragi,Hindi,and western style songs and music are also very popular in Afghanistan.

Women dancing in traditional dress inSan Francisco

Afghans enjoy music by playing many types of instruments. They also enjoy performing theAttan,which is considered the national dance of Afghanistan. What is typically heard in the country are folk songs orballads.Many of the songs are known by almost everyone and have been around for many years. The main traditional Afghan music instruments include:

• Harmonium
• Santur
• Chang
• Rubab
• Tabla
• Sitar
• Zurna
• Flute
• Dayereh
• Tanbur
• Dambura

Language and literature

Main article:Afghan literature

DariandPashtoare both the officiallanguages of Afghanistan,although Dari (Afghan Persian) serves as thelingua francafor the majority. People in the northern and central areas of the country usually speak Persian/Dari, while those living in the south and east speak Pashto. Afghans living in the western regions of Afghanistan speak both Dari and Pashto. Most citizens are fluent in both languages, especially those living in major cities where the population is multi-ethnic. Several other languages are spoken in their own regions, which includesUzbek,TurkmenandBalochi.Englishis gradually becoming popular among the young generation. There are smaller number of Afghans who can understand Russian, mainly among the northern Tajik, Uzbek and Turkmen groups.

Poetry

Main article:Poetry of Afghanistan

Poetry in Afghanistanhas long been a cultural tradition and passion. It is mainly in Persian/Dari and Pashto languages, although in modern times it is also becoming more recognized in Afghanistan's other languages. ClassicPersianandPashto poetryplays an important role in the Afghan culture. Poetry has always been one of the major educational pillars in the region, to the level that it has integrated itself into culture. Some notable poets includeKhushal Khan Khattak,Rahman Baba,Massoud Nawabi,Nazo Tokhi,Ahmad Shah Durrani,andGhulam Muhammad Tarzi.Some of the famousPersian-language poets and authorsfrom the 10th to 15th centuries areRumi,Rabi'a Balkhi,Khwaja Abdullah Ansari,Jami,Alisher Navoi,Sanai,Abu Mansur Daqiqi,Farrukhi Sistani,Unsuri,andAnvari.Contemporary Persian language poets and writers includeKhalilullah Khaliliand Sufi Ashqari.

Proverbs

Main article:Afghan proverbs

Afghans prize wit and cleverness in speech. "Zarbul Masalha" (pronounced zar-bull mah-sal-HAA) means "proverbs" inDari,and thesezarbul masalhadeeply reflect Afghan culture. U.S. Navy CaptainEdward Zellempioneered the use of Afghan proverbs as a positive relationship-building tool during the war in Afghanistan, and in 2012 he published two bilingual collections of Afghan proverbs in Dari and English.

Naming customs and honorifics

Main article:Afghan name

Pet keeping

Songbirdsin cages at a farm inNangarhar Province,used for the pleasure of the site's farmers

Birdsare the most popular animals that are kept aspetsin Afghanistan. In Kabul there is a dedicated daily market selling a wide variety of birds from around the world.

Architecture

Main article:Architecture of Afghanistan

Herat Citadelin the western Afghan city ofHerat

The important architectural sites are found inHerat,Mazar-I-Sharif,Ghazni,Qandahar,andFiruzkohinGhor Province. The region has made major contributions to the world'sarchitecture.UNESCOhas acknowledged Afghanistan's role by declaring theMinaret of Jamand theBuddhas of Bamiyandestroyed in 2001,World Heritage Sites.

Housing

Housesin rural Afghanistan historically have been made ofmudbricksandmud,and have a series of rooms located around a private rectangular courtyard where women and children can move around without being seen by the public. In recent years, however, Afghans living in rural areas began building their homes using cement andbricks,similar as those built in the big cities.In the north and west they are typically in fortified villages calledqalahs( "fortresses" ), whereas in the mountainous northern and eastern regions they differ, for examplewoodenmultistoried dwellings in Nuristan.

Married sons often share houses with their parents, but with separate quarters. Afghan houses contain a special room where men socialize with each other known as ahujra.In the major cities, many Afghans live in modern houses orapartments.Thenomadickuchi peoplelive in large tents because they are constantly on the move from one part of the country to another.The nomads of Turkic or Mongol origin in the north tend to live inyurts.

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  A mud brick house on a mountainside - a common sight in the hilly areas of the Afghan countryside
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  Traditional brick homes common in the lower elevated regions in the north and west
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  Nested homes in theforest region
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  Ayurt,most likely in north-eastern Afghanistan

Art, weaving, ceramics

See also:Afghan artandTruck art in South Asia

Women painting at the Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) inKabul.

The lands of Afghanistan have a long history ofart,with the world's earliest known usage ofoil paintingfound in cave murals in the country.Afghan art includesPersian miniaturestyle, withKamaleddin BehzadofHeratbeing one of the most notable miniature artists of theTimuridand earlySafavidperiods. Since the 1900s, the nation began to use Western techniques in art.Abdul Ghafoor Breshnawas a prominent Afghan painter and sketch artist from Kabul during the 20th century.

Afghanistan's art was originally almost entirely done by men, but recently women are entering the arts programs atKabul University.Art is largely centered at theNational Museum of Afghanistan,theNational Gallery of Afghanistanand theNational Archives of AfghanistaninKabul.There are a number of art schools in the country. The Center for Contemporary Arts Afghanistan (CCAA) in Kabul provides young people to learn contemporary paintings.

Ceramics and pottery, of which many tend to beturquoise-colored, are produced in Afghanistan, most famously in the village ofIstalif.

The art of makingcarpetshas been prominent for centuries. Afghanistan is known for making beautiful oriental rugs. TheAfghan carpethas certain prints that make them unique to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan is known for its production ofAfghan rugs,traditionally handwoven using a number of well-known and highly-prized patterns.

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  Afghan items of pottery
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  Items of pottery at a shop
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  Blue glass
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  Afghan kilim
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  Afghan embroidery pattern
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  Afghan rugs and jewelry on sale, in the United States

Cuisine

Main article:Afghan cuisine

Typical Afghan food table

Afghanistan has a wide varying landscape allowing for many different crops. Afghan cuisine is based on cereals likewheat,maize,barleyandrice,which are the nation's chief crops. Afghans do not eatspicy foodlike the neighboringPakistanis.Fresh and dried fruits is the most important part of Afghan diet. Afghanistan is well known for its fine fruits, especiallypomegranates,grapes,and its extra-sweet jumbo-sizemelons.

Some of the popular Afghan dishes, from left to right: 1. Lamb grilled kebab (seekh kabab); 2.Palaoand salad; 3.Tandoori chicken;and 4.Mantu(dumplings). The Afghan cuisine includes a blend of Central Asian, Eastern Asian, South Asian and the Middle Eastern cuisines. Nearly all Afghan dishes are non-spicy.

• Popular Afghan dishes:
  • Qabuli palao(traditionalricedish)
  • Mosh Palao
  • Shorba(Afghansoup)
  • Do Pyaza
  • Mantu(meatdumplings)
  • Kofta(meatballs)
  • Kichiri
  • Rosh
  • Chopan Kabab
  • Afghani Kabab
  • Mash Palao
  • Qabuli Polao
  • Qorma Sabzi
  • Shola (sticky rice dish)
  • Qoruti
  • Eshkana
  • Baunjan (cookedeggplantwithpotatoesandtomatoes)
  • Bendee/Baumya (cookedokrawith potatoes and tomatoes)
  • Heeknusb (hummus)
  • Aushak
  • Aush(hand madenoodles)
  • Baghlava(baklava)
  • Bolani(Afghan flat bread orcrêpes)
  • Chapli Kabab
  • Shor-Nakhod(chick peaswith special toppings)
  • Naan(Afghan bread)
• Popular Afghan desserts:
  • Gosh Feel(pastry)
  • Halwa
  • Shir Berinj (rice pudding)
  • Ferni
  • Kadu Bouranee(sweet pumpkins)
  • Jelabi
  • Maleeda or Khajoor
  • Spice Rub

Dress and attire

Main article:Afghan clothing

Afghan traditional dress typically covers the entire body with a loose top and a form of head covering. The dresses are very colorful, especially women's.

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  Traditional tribal women's clothing
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  Traditional tribal men's clothing
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  Handmade dolls of traditional women's clothing at a fair

Sport

Main article:Sport in Afghanistan

See also:Traditional games of Afghanistan

Players in a game ofbuzkashi,the national sport

The sports in Afghanistan are organized by theAfghan Sports Federation,which promotesfootball,cricket,basketball,volleyball,golf,handball,boxing,taekwondo,track and field,bowling,skatingand several others.

Football remains to be the most popular sport across Afghanistan.TheAfghanistan national football teamwas founded in 1922, joinedFIFAin 1948 and theAsian Football Confederation(AFC) in 1954. Although it did not play in any international games from 1984 to 2003 due to the war, it is now striving and hoping to make it to FIFA. TheAfghanistan women's national football teamwas formed in 2007. TheGhazi Stadium,which was built during the reign ofKingAmanullah Khan,was once used for a venue for public executions by the Taliban government. The stadium is currently used mostly for football matches between teams from different provinces of the country as well as neighboring countries.Basketballhas existed in Afghanistan since at least the 1970s, and is slowly becoming popular again. It is played by both Afghan men and women. Additionally, Afghans in the north of the country enjoy the sport ofbuzkashi.

Cricket has become popular in recent years in Afghanistan. TheAfghanistan national cricket team,which was formed in 1996 during Taliban regime, has held matches against all other international cricket teams since 2001. The Afghan team rapidly rose through theWorld Cricket Leaguesince early 2008. It participated in the2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier,2010 ICC World Cricket League Division One,and2010 ICC World Twenty20where they played India and South Africa. The team won four times in a row, theACC Twenty20 Cupin 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013. It played against top ranking teams in the2012 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cupand the2012 ICC World Twenty20.ts, Afghans usually play with challengers of neighboring states and sometimes with other Asian countries.

Religion

Main article:Religion in Afghanistan

An Afghan man with atasbih

Islamis the main religion of Afghanistan and over 99.7%of Afghans areMuslims.An estimated 84.7–90% of the population adhere toSunni Islam,while an estimated 7–15% practiceShia Islam,and approximately 1% are followers of other religions,most prominentlySikhism.In pre-Islamic era,ZoroastrianismandBuddhism and Hinduismhad a strong presence in Afghanistan; in addition,JudaismandChristianityhave also had apresencein Afghanistan for over a millennia.

Education

Main article:Education in Afghanistan

Education in AfghanistanincludesK-12andhigher education,which is supervised by theMinistry of EducationandMinistry of Higher EducationinKabul,Afghanistan.There are about 10,000 schools of which 4,000 were built in the last decade. More than 100,000 teachers were trained and recruited in the same period.It was reported in 2011 that more than seven million male and female students were enrolled in schools.Some of the well known schools in Kabul areHabibia High School,Lycée Esteqlal,Amani High School,Aisha-i-Durani School,Ghazi High SchoolandRahman Baba High School.The Ahmad Shah Baba High School and Zarghuna Anna High School are two of the oldest schools inKandahar.

Since the country has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, the United States began establishing a number of Lincoln learning centers to help with this problem and promote American culture in Afghanistan. They are set up to serve as programming platforms offering English language classes, library facilities, programming venues, Internet connectivity, educational and other counseling services. A goal of the program is to reach at least 4,000 Afghan citizens per month per location.The military and national police are now provided with mandatory literacy courses.In addition to this,Baghch-e-Simsim(based on the AmericanSesame Street) was launched in late 2011 to help Afghan children learn frompreschoolonward. Programs in the show "will be partly filmed in Afghanistan with the rest" lifted from other versions inMuslim countriesincludingEgyptandBangladesh,as well asMexicoandRussia.

Higher education is provided by variousuniversitiesthroughout the country, which include theAmerican University of Afghanistan,Kabul University,Polytechnical University of Kabul,Herat University,Balkh University,Nangarhar University,Kandahar University,Khost University,Bakhtar University,and a heap of others. There is also onemilitary college,located in Kabul. Recently with help fromUNESCO,over 1,000 women have taken the university entrance exam. As of 2011, about 62,000 students are enrolled in different universities around the country.

Games

An Afghan boy with a kite

Kitesand "kite fighting"are highly popular in Afghanistan especially amongst children.

Holidays

PresidentHamid Karzaiobserving thehonor guardof theAfghan armed forcesduring the 2011Afghan Independence Day.

Religious

See also:Islamic HolidayandPublic holidays in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's religious holidays are nearly the same asIslamic holidays.Some of the most important includeEid al-Fitr(end ofRamadan),Eid al-Adha,Ashura,andMawlid,while the religious minorities of Afghanistan celebrate holidays unique to their respective religion.

Traditional

Farmer's Day, also known asNauruz(Nowruz), is an ancient annual Afghan festival which celebrates both the beginning of spring and theNew Year.The observances usually last two weeks, culminating on the first day of the Afghan New Year, March 21, and corresponds to the first day of thePersian Calendar.

Nauruz is related to a religion calledZoroastrianismwhich was in practice in ancientPersiabefore the emergence of Islam. This festival is to celebrate the arrival of spring as plants, trees, and flowers start to bloom making the weather pleasant. On the day of Nauruz, families usually celebrate the festival by cooking food and going out for a picnic. Families cook various kinds of meals, Samanak, and Haft-mewah or dry fruits that start with the letter (س) or (S) which represents the arrival of spring season. Haft-mewah contains seven dry fruits which families place in warm water two to three days before Nauruz. Samanak is another type of dessert made from wheat and sugar. Women usually get together days before Nauruz to prepare Samanak. They pour the ingredients into a big pot placed on an open fire and take turns to stir the wheat and sugar in the pot before it turns into a thick paste. Once prepared, the dessert is then served on the day of Nauruz.

National

• Afghan Independence Day(19 August 19)
• Mujahideen Victory Day(April 28)

Other

• International Women's Day(March 8)
• Remembrance Day for Martyrs and Disabled(September 9)

See also

• Bacha Bazi
• Demography of Afghanistan
• Postage stamps and postal history of Afghanistan

Further reading

Folktale collections

• Lebedev, Konstantin[in Russian](1972).Афганские сказки и легенды[Afghan Tales and Legends] (in Russian). Moskva:Главная редакция восточной литературы издательства Наука.
• Mills, Margaret A.Cupid and Psyche in Afghanistan: An international Tale in Cultural ContextOccasional Paper (Asia Society. Afghanistan Council), No. 14, Spring/1978.
• Shah, Amina(1982).Tales of Afghanistan.Octagon Press.ISBN9780900860942.
• Dhar, Asha (1982).Folk tales of Afghanistan.New Delhi: Sterling.
• Mills, Margaret A. (2019) [1990].Oral Narrative in Afghanistan: The Individual in Tradition.Routledge Revivals.ISBN9781000094336.
• Ioannesyan, Youli (2009).Afghan folktales from Herat: Persian Texts in Transcription and Translation.Amherst:Cambria Press.ISBN978-1-60497-652-6.
• Tapper, Richard; Lindisfarne-Tapper, Nancy (2020).Afghan Village Voices: Stories from a Tribal Community.London:I.B. Tauris & Company.ISBN978-0-7556-0085-4.

External links

• Afghanistan Cultural Profile
• Afghanistan Online: Culture
• Culture and history of Afghanistan
• Afghan's Share in Indian Art and Culture
• Afghanistan a cultural profile
• Online Afghan Calendar with Gregorian, Hejrah-e shamsi and Hejrah-e qamari dates
• National Bibliography and Publishing in Afghanistan (1871-2009)
• AfghanProverbs.com. Features Dari (Afghan Farsi) Proverbs of Afghanistan, known as "Zarbul Masalha"
• Afghanistan: Major Cultural and Historical Zones