Posts

Image
Pashtun cuisine ( Pashto :  پښتني خواړه ‎) refers to the cuisine of the  Pashtuns , who are predominant in  Afghanistan  and western  Pakistan . The cuisine of the Pashtun people is covered under  Afghan cuisine  and  Pakistani cuisine , and is largely based on cereals like wheat, maize, barley and rice as well as a plethora of meat dishes that includes lamb, beef, chicken, and fresh fish. Accompanying these staples are also dairy products (yogurt, whey, cheeses), including various nuts, locally grown vegetables, as well as fresh and dried fruits. Cities such as  Peshawar ,  Jalalabad ,  Kabul ,  Quetta  and  Kandahar  are known for being the centers of Pashtun cuisine. The following is a short and incomplete list of some food items that Pashtuns often eat. Kabuli pulao Pekhteh/Peshteh (beef/mutton ribs) naray ghwakha (mutton dish) Chopan Kabob (lamb chops, skewered and grilled on charcoal) S...
Image
Pushtun Sports Games : One of the most popular sports among Pashtuns is  cricket , which was introduced to South Asia during the early 18th century with the arrival of the British. Many Pashtuns have become prominent international  cricketers  in the  Pakistan national cricket team , including  Imran Khan ,  Shahid Afridi ,  Majid Khan ,  Misbah-ul-Haq ,  Umar Gul ,  Junaid Khan  and  Younis Khan . Australian cricketer  Fawad Ahmed  is of Pakistani Pashtun origin who has played for the Australian national team. Football  (soccer) is also one of the most popular sports among Pashtuns. The current  captain  of  Pakistan national football team ,  Muhammad Essa , is an ethnic Pashtun. Other sports popular among Pashtuns may include  polo ,  field hockey ,  volleyball ,  handball ,  basketball ,  golf ,  track and field ,  bodybuilding ,  weight...

Pushtun dress

Image
Pashtun traditional dress The Pashtun constitute an ethnic group that lives along both sides of the modern Afghanistan-Pakistan border (the still disputed so-called Durand line of 1896). The traditional man’s outfit includes trousers ( partug  or  shalwar ) with a drawstring ( partugghakh ), a knee-length shirt ( kamiz ), and a waistcoat ( waskat ). The Pashtun headgear is normally a cap ( khwalay / rakhchina ), often with a turban ( pagray / lungay / langota ) wrapped around it. In southern Afghanistan, the caps are often open in front, in imitation of the Baluchi caps. The outfit is completed with a large, rectangular blanket ( chador  [thin] or  patu  [thick]) worn over one shoulder or slung across both. The blanket is multi-functional and can be used for warmth, to sit upon and as a prayer  Female Dress  Pashtun women tend to wear a ‘standard’ Afghan outfit made up of trousers ( partug ), a dress with long sleeves and full skirt ( k...

Pushto Language

Image
Pashto  : Pashto:  پښتو ‎  Pax̌tō ,  sometimes spelled  Pukhto , is the language of the  Pashtuns . It is known in  Persian  literature as  Afghāni  ( افغانی ) and in  Hindustani literature  as  Paṭhānī .Speakers of the language are called Pashtuns/Pakhtuns/Pathans and sometimes Afghans. It is an  Eastern Iranian language , belonging to the  Indo-European family .Pashto is one of the two  official   languages of Afghanistan , [ and it is the second-largest regional language of  Pakistan , mainly spoken in the west and northwest of the country. In Pakistan, it is the majority language of the province of  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa  and the northern districts of  Balochistan . Along with  Dari Persian , Pashto is the main language among the  Pashtun diaspora  around the world. The total number of Pashto-speakers is estimated to be 45–60 million people w...

History and origins

Image
The Pashtuns have an ancient history, much still unresearched. From the second millennium  B.C.E. to the present, Pashtun regions have seen invasions and migrations including Aryan tribes (Iranian peoples, Indo-Aryans), Medes, Persians, Mauryas, Scythians,  Kushans , Hephthalites, Greeks,  Arabs , Turks, and  Mongols . Many conflicting theories exist about the origins of the Pashtun people, some modern and others archaic, both among historians and the Pashtuns themselves. Demographics The vast majority of Pashtuns live in an area stretching from western Pakistan to southwestern Afghanistan. Additional Pashtun communities reside in the Northern Areas, Azad Kashmir, and Sindh provinces of Pakistan as well as throughout Afghanistan and in the  Iranian  region of Khorasan. A large migrant-worker community lives in the countries of the  Arabian Peninsula  and in smaller communities in Europe and North America. A sizable community of largely putat...
Image
P ashtun culture  ( Pashto :  پښتني هڅوب ‎) is based on  Islam  and  Pashtunwali , which is an ancient way of life, as well as speaking of the  Pashto language  and wearing  Pashtun dress . The culture of the  Pashtun people  is highlighted since at least the time of  Herodotus (484–425 BC) or  Alexander the Great , when he explored the  Afghanistan  and  Pakistan  region in 330 BC. The Pashtun culture has little outside influence, and, over the ages, has retained a great degree of purity.