Cultural Diversity in Afghanistan Essay

Afghanistan is an Islamic country. It is divided into different regions where people manifest their own culture and beliefs. Though Afghans stop in same country yet they practiced different cultures because of their regions location and tradition. What is applied to a received region of Afghanistan may not be applicable to the other regions of the country. This would only show that on that point is a cultural diversity amongst regions of Afghanistan. Moreover, Afghanistan is located in south-central Asia. The encyclopedia of Islam stated thatAfghanistan has borne that name only since the midriff of the 18th century, when the supremacy of the Afghan race (Pashtuns) became assured previously various districts bore distinct appellations, just now the country was not a definite political unit, and its component parts were not bound unitedly by any identity of race or language. The earlier meaning of the word was simply the soil of the Afghans, a limited territory which did not inc lude many parts of the present state exactly did comprise large districts now either independent or within the boundary of Pakistan (see Afghanistan.Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 15, 2006). The Federal part of the country is border by the Soviet Union and on the northeast it is bordered by China and Kashmir, on the west side is bordered by Iran and on the east and south it is bordered by Pakistan. Every citizen of the country is called as Afghan though the country is composed of various ethnic groups. One of these ethnic groups is the Pashtun (it is also be spelled as Pakhtun, Pathan, Pushtun, and Pukhtun) which makes up about 60 percent of the population.They be from the Caucasian origin and dwelt in Afghanistan in not less than 1, 3000 year. Normally, they be recognized and acknowledged as the true Afghans. Pashtuns are separated into numerous tribes and sub-tribes, followed an ancient code of conduct called as Pashtunwali. The second nigh popu new-fangledd gr oup is the Tajik, who were also come from the Caucasian origin (see Afghanistan. New Standard Encyclopedia. Volume 1, Pp. A-91, A-93, 94). The use of this paper is to describe the different cultures in Afghanistan.II. Discussion As I have mentioned earlier, there are two ethnic groups who dwelt in Afghanistan. These groups practiced different cultures. Moreover, different cultures are practiced in Afghanistan because there are numerous ethnic groups that are smaller in number who are scattered passim the country. Nuristanis is another ethnic group of Afghnistan. They d well(p) in the secluded mountains of the northeast of Kabul, near the Pakistan border. The Nuristanis claimed that they are the posterity of Alexander the Great.Before they were converted into Islam, Nuristanis had statue of wooden idols and ancestral images sculpted by them and these are well-preserved in the Kabul Museum. Several of these were possibly used to venerate dead ancestors and used in healing rituals o r ceremonials (see Other Minority pagan Groups in Afghanistan. 2002). Moreover, life in the Afghan home is upholding high set because they really defined the roles of the men and women. These roles are very different from any culture around the world.The womens lives only revolve in their home and to their children thus, this practice is in line with their Muslim beliefs. Starting from late 1950s, the urban women who belonged in a well-off family were allowed to find their work far from their homeland and had opportunity to remove on higher education. But these privileges were not enjoyed by all women because women who dwelt in the rural areas or amongst mobile tribes are not given these opportunities. Everyday, Afghan women supply their families with two meals, together with snacks.Their traditional meals are pilau which has meat or vegetables, poultry or wild game kebabas, mutton, yogurt, hot soup and nan which a flat bread. In addition, Afghan has different ways when they en gage in marriage. A man and a woman are united in marriage through an agreement made by both parents by settling financial commitments or also called as the marketplace or dowry. In their culture, marriage is considered as a deal between families not just by individuals and it includes financial commitments on both families. The groom will give a dowry to the family of the bride.The dowry comprises of decorative and functional items that are necessary for establishing a household. It comprises goods like beddings, utensils, clothing, jewelry, fans and hangings. The men who attend the weddings are given presents like embroidered handkerchiefs or toque caps. The process in assembling a dowry involves a long period of time and a good deal effort and it is usually started while the girl is still young. The relatives of the females help in the wedding preparations (see Afghanistan). III. Conclusion Truly, the cultures in Afghanistan are one of a kind.Afghan women are just like precious stones because they are well taken care by their parents. During in their younger years, parents set an arrange marriage for their daughter and take aim for a dowry to the males side. References 1. Afghanistan. New Standard Encyclopedia. Volume 1, Pp. A-91, A-93, 94. 2. Other Minority Ethnic Groups in Afghanistan. 2002. http//www. afghan- network. net/Ethnic-Groups/other-groups. html 3. Afghanistan. http//146. 186. 95. 23/mat_mus/Tour/t_afghan. htm 4. Afghanistan. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. November 15, 2006. http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Afghanistan_note-4