Afghanistan

by A. Hamilton

The dress of a man of the better classes differs from that adopted by the hillsman. He then wears tom-bons or pyjamas, gathered in at the waist and falling in tapering folds from the hip to the ankle, where they fit closely. The native shoes will be worn without socks, unless the wearer is wealthy. An embroidered piran or chemise falls over the pyjamas nearly to the knees, and a waistcoat, reaching a little below the waist, with long sleeves and a slit at the hip, is also affected. The costume is completed by a loose robe. The waistcoat is of velvet or cloth, quilted and generally gold embroidered. The coat is of thin native cloth. The Kabul man-about-town usually amplifies the native costume with European innovations; as a rule the higher he rises in the social scale the more Europeanised he becomes in costume.

PLAYGROUND OF AMIR’S SCHOOL, KABUL

Nevertheless, the readiness to follow certain European fashions depends solely upon the personal influence of the Amir, although the custom prevails more generally in Kabul than in many parts of India. European weapons are, of course, acquired by all who can afford them; but the earliest and the most striking change of dress is the replacement of the cummerbund by a belt, with a brass or silver buckle and decorated with two labels—“Made in Germany” and “God Bless the Happy Home.” Upon more serious grounds the wisdom of this innovation may be questioned, since the climate of Afghanistan is subject to such great variations of temperature that the cummerbund affords excellent protection to the abdominal region. The purchase of socks and “foreign style” coat or, better still, a discarded uniform follows, while patent leather button boots are considered to give a nice, dressy appearance to the bareness of the leg. Trousers are not general in any degree, although they are affected among the upper classes and also in Court and military circles. They are made quite loose and are put on over the native pyjamas. In spite of the popularity which foreign dress has achieved, it is always discarded in the privacy of the family. While nothing affords Habib Ullah so much pleasure as showing himself in European costume in public, nothing will induce him to wear Western clothes once the doors of his palace have closed upon him and he can recline at his ease amid well-placed cushions. His disapproval of ostentatious habiliment was revealed at the Nauroz festival in 1903, when he ordained that all good Mahommedans of the upper classes should eschew braid, gold lace and embroidered shoes. He also enjoined them to wear trousers and to keep the feet and ankles bare. Hindus were ordered to wear yellow turbans and to encircle the waist with a cord as a mark of distinction and humility.

The attire adopted for ordinary purposes differs in a very considerable degree from that worn by a Court attendant. Regulation Court costume comprises a black cloth coat, vest and trousers, circular astrakhan hat, and white collar with a black necktie. Any one who wishes to attend at the palace or to be present at a Durbar, must wear this dress, which is cut to a special pattern. Military officers wear their uniform. On State occasions the Amir himself is resplendent in a scarlet coat, richly embroidered with gold lace, white cloth trousers and white gloves. For headgear he has an astrakhan hat decorated with a large diamond star,—the costume being completed by a gold belt with jewelled buckle, sword and gold shoulder-straps surmounted by a diamond insignia. In semi-state dress Habib Ullah puts himself into a black uniform, faced with several revers of braid and having deep, astrakhan cuffs, black cloth trousers braided, and patent leather knee-boots. The sleeves, cap, sword and shoulder-straps are the same as in full dress. At other times the Amir wears the ordinary garb of an English gentleman and greatly dislikes any exaggerated display of jewellery, believing that simplicity is not only desirable but in accord with the tenets of the Mahommedan religion. In furtherance of that view he has restricted the wearing of jewellery among men to signet rings and prohibited altogether the gaudy silk handkerchiefs, which it had been the fashion to display about the shoulders. It is difficult for the Afghans to subdue their passion for ostentation. Friday, a day which corresponds with our Sunday, is the great festival of the Afghan. This weekly holiday commences with a visit to the baths and a brief call at the mosque, after which the entire family, arrayed in its best, proceeds to take the air. There are many gardens of a sort in Kabul; and each is thronged by people, who sit about the pathways bartering for bunches of fruit and trays of sweetmeats, or loll with rapt attention around the perch of some singing-bird. Every man of consequence is attended by slaves bearing his pipe, the cage of his pet songster, sweetmeats and fruit, the party coming to a halt in some secluded spot where, lying at ease, receiving and returning the salutations of his friends, he listens to the notes of his favourite bird.

AFGHAN WOMEN

The indoor costume of an Afghan woman is no less picturesque than that of her lord and master. Even to a plain and awkward woman it imparts some appearance of grace. The piran extends from the throat to just above the ankles, with sleeves that reach to the wrist. It is of cloth of gold, velvet, silk, cashmere or calico, and in shape not unlike our own Princess robe. Beneath this are the tom-bons, very similar to the garment worn by men.[43] These may be of cloth of gold, silk, cashmere or calico; they are finished off at the ankles by a fringe of diamonds, gold or silver. A round cap, worked all over with gold thread, so that it looks like gold cloth, is fitted closely to the back of the head. The hair, parted in the centre, is done up in tiny braids, which are caught in a black silk embroidered bag, worn underneath the gold cap, but hanging down the back to below the waist. Married women wear a fringe of hair, often curled, on either side of the face. Descending from the top of the head to the hem of the piran, leaving the face uncovered, is the gracefully-draped chadar—a large wrapping of finest muslin, filmy gauze, or delicately tinted chiffon. Black hair is in vogue among the belles of the harem; if their locks reveal any shade of fairness or show indications of turning grey the vain creatures, adopting the custom of their Western sisters, at once dye them. Like all their sex, too, they delight in jewellery and conspicuous ornaments, and a considerable portion of their savings is expended upon the purchase of necklaces, ear-rings and bracelets. All who can afford it wear flowers just above the right ear, while they also indulge in the use of cosmetics. Paint and powder, rouge for the lips and the blackening pencil for eyebrows and eyelashes are the adventitious aids to whatever natural charms they may possess.