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Al Jazeera Net correspondents
cable- The business of Afghan Azizullah Khan, the owner of a turban shop, is thriving after years of recession. He says, “Over the past two decades, the turban market has declined significantly, and when I displayed it, it would remain in the store for up to a year and would not be sold, until I had to stop trading in it.”
Once the Taliban came to power, the turban market revived again, as the sale of this hood or head covering for men in Afghanistan increased by 50% compared to the past, according to fabric and clothing merchants, in addition to an increase in the sale of the Afghan hijab, or what is known locally as the “chador.” After the Taliban returns to power in the summer of 2021.
Shop owners in the capital, Kabul, say that there is a great demand for two types of turbans, one of which bears the name of the acting Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, and the other the name of the Minister of Defense, Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, son of the founder of the Taliban, Mullah Muhammad Omar, and they are marketed under the name “Haqqani” turban and “Haqqani” turban. “Mujahid.”
Merchants talk about a great demand for these two types among Taliban members and the general public, as black turbans have become more common compared to gray and white colors, according to shop owners.
The return of the turban
The turban is an essential part of the costume of tribal leaders and sheikhs, and young people wear it on special occasions such as holidays, weddings and engagements throughout Afghanistan, and each state or region is distinguished by the shape and color of the turban.
The Afghan turban is a piece of cloth one meter wide and 3 to 6 meters long depending on the way it is tied or worn. It is wrapped in a special way that varies from one region to another. Each ethnicity in the country has a special turban that distinguishes it from other ethnicities.
Afghan historian Habibullah Rafii told Al Jazeera Net, “In addition to the religious character of the turban, its history in Afghan culture dates back more than 5 centuries. Classical poets such as Khushal Khattak referred to it in their poems. The turban was considered a form of prestige, as leaders and sheikhs wore it.”
The lives of residents of Afghan cities have changed in many aspects, and the turban has once again become one of the best-selling commodities in the market despite its decline over the past two decades. Until now, Afghans maintain the custom of presenting the turban as a gift to guests and tribal elders on various occasions.
After the spread of pants and suits at the expense of traditional Afghan clothing, the Taliban’s arrival to power affected the form of clothing, and the turban was able to impose itself again.
Made in China
Abdul Basir Masum, the owner of a turban shop in the center of the capital, Kabul, told Al Jazeera Net, “Some young people in Kabul are more interested in the turban, but they do not know how to tie it, and they did not think about wearing it before the Taliban came to power.”
What is striking is that, although the turban has been used in Afghanistan for centuries, it is imported from Pakistan and China. There are no turban production factories in Afghanistan, and there are Chinese and Pakistani production companies that produce turbans for the Afghan market only because the Afghan turban is not used outside Afghanistan.
Masum, who has been selling turbans for 13 years, adds, “I import them from Sindh and Punjab in Pakistan, and there is a special type made in China. We import it only to display it in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, and the prices of the turban range according to type and quality.”
Turban merchant Muhammad Jan told Al Jazeera Net, “I import turbans from Pakistan at least twice a year, and I have about 8,000 customers throughout the year. I have 15 types of turbans, and their prices range from 20 to 100 dollars.”
According to Muhammad Jan, one type of turban worn by the Katwaz tribe in Paktika Province, southeastern Afghanistan, costs about $200. It is distinguished by its yellow color and is made of pure silk, and is worn only by the tribe’s leaders.
The turban in politics
Each ethnic group in Afghanistan has its own clothing and is recognized by it. In recent decades and during the civil wars, the Afghan hat, or what is locally called “bakul,” has also entered the field of politics, and has become, along with the turban, a symbol for Afghan politicians. The turban has been associated with the Taliban leaders, the cap made of sheep skin with the former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, and the “bakul” with the leader. Former Afghan Ahmed Shah.
Afghan writer Abdul Jalil Barakzai told Al Jazeera Net, “The Kandahari turban and hood practice politics, and their market is popular because people follow the religion of their kings. The time of ‘Bakul’, which competed with the turban for the past two decades, has ended, and the turban overcame it.”
