Crowning glory: Afghanistan's colourful headgear culture

At the crossroads of central and south Asia, Afghanistan has for centuries been a meeting place for cultures and ethnicities, as evidenced in the striking assortment of headgear worn by its people.

The style of a cap or turban confers status and standing on its wearer, and also signifies what part of the country they come from or which ethnic group they belong to. 

An Uzbek cap, for example – flat and round, and worn tight – is decorated with colourful woollen embroidery and common among Afghans from the northern regions of Mazar-i-Sharif, Faryab and Jawzjan.

Pashtuns, Afghanistan's biggest ethnic group from which the hardline Islamist Taliban mostly hail, often prefer plain black turbans, wrapped tightly over a cap with a “tail” falling on the shoulder. 

Villagers say a Pashtun boy marks his entry into manhood when he takes on the turban.

An Afghan man wearing a turban poses for a photograph in Kandahar. Photo: Javed Tanveer/AFP

In southern Kandahar, young men don round, soft caps that are split in the front above the forehead, while elderly men, especially farmers, prefer turbans and scarves. 

Afghan women in some rural areas, particularly in the western province of Herat,...