Pakol

ThePakolorPakul(Khowar:پاکول,Shina:کھوئی,Persian:پکول,Pashto: پکول) is a soft, flat, rolled-up, round-topped men'scap, usually worn in easternAfghanistanand northernPakistan. It is typically made ofwooland found in a variety of earthy colours, such as brown, black, grey, ivory, or dyed red using walnut. The pakol is believed to have originated inChitralandGilgit.
It is a handspun woollen cap, formed with a flat, rounded top, encircled by a lower, curled-upbrim. It is usually white, grey, or various shades of brown. The cap's practical design allows pulling it down to cover the ears and neck in cold weather and rolling it up for warmer temperatures. There are many ways of decorating the garment, sometimes typically putting flowers or feathers into the hat, especially for festive occasions. An attached string sewn around the base provides adaptability and flexibility of use. By tightening or loosening the string, the wearer is able to secure the hat as needed.
The true origin of the pakol is debated and unknown. Some authors compared this typical headgear to thekausiaworn by theancient Macedonians.It then proved tempting for some writers to link the pakol to theIndian campaigns of Alexander the Greatin the late fourth century BC. The kausia was worn in theGreco-BactrianandIndo-Greek kingdomsin the ensuing centuries.However, according to some authors, the pakol has no historical links with the kausia.But according to others such as Fredricksmeyer, the kausia was an important part of the Macedonian attire by 336 BC, which is before Alexander's invasion of India, and was therefore likely the ancestor of the pakol.However, It is still not clear which of these theories is correct.
According to another erroneous belief of the place of its direct origins, the pakol has a very recent history inNuristan Province, where it is widely worn nowadays, going back no older than the late nineteenth century, but the same headgear is also relatively young in neighbouringChitral District.Apparently at some time the people of Chitral and adjoining regions started to include an extra round piece of material to form a flat crown.This modern twist is not a feature that Alexander's soldiers could have picked up in the late fourth century BC.
Chitrali pakol and theGilgitikhoi, are two contemporary versions of the same hat  that were worn inDardistanbefore the 1800s .The hat is also known askhapol,derived from the wordkapaalwhich means head inKhowar language.The main source of production isChitralin Pakistan.The pakol is mentioned in Donatus O'Brien's 1895 book onThe Language of Chitral, where describing the ethnic dress of theKho peoplehe states that:
"The dress worn by most men consist of a homespun cap black, brown or grey made in the shape of a bag and rolled up until it fits the skull."
Later in 1896,George Scott Robertsondescribed a "Chitrali Cap".
John Biddulphin hisTribes of the Hindoo Koosh(1880), referred to the "rolled woollen cap" and ascribed it to theShina peopleofGilgit,Astoreand the surrounding areas in present-day northern Pakistan.Biddulph also tells that in other parts to the west of modern northern Pakistan, such asWakhan,ChitralandSarikol, the people used to wear small turbans.
"In Chitral, Wakhan and Sirikol the men wear very small scanty turbans. In Gilgit, Astor, and the greater part of Yaghestan the rolled woollen cap mentioned by Mr. Drew is commonly worn. In the Shin caste unmarried women are distinguished by a white cap, which is never worn by married Shin women."
The earliest unequivocal reference to thepakolthus refers to the extreme north of modern Pakistan, while at the same time in areas slightly further to the west and south, including Chitral, the people still preferred to wear a turban.This would indicate that in lands even further to the west, thepakolwas also still unknown.
The popularity of thepakolhad moved west by the late 1920s, whenGeorg Morgenstiernevisited the Chitral district and photographed the locals wearing apakol, although the photographs seem to show that thepakollacks the distinctive flat crown of the modern Chitrali cap and more resembles the type of pakol still worn ingilgit, which may thus well represent the "original" form of thepakol.
It was also adopted since the late 1890s by several communities of Afghanistan such asTajiks,Pashayi٫Pashtuns&Nuristanis.It was adopted first among the Pashtuns of Pakistan as a replacement for the large turban, especially in the main cities, as for instance inPeshawar,owing to village traders, who were also responsible for its spread and popularity, initially expanding their businesses, eventually coming to dominate a large area of the Peshawar's old city, popularly known asQissa Kahwani.Only in the tribal areas along the Afghan border the traditional Pashtun turban was still popular.However, pictures from Peshawar from not so very long ago, still show a city dominated by turbans instead of men covering their head with a pakol.TheShina peopleofDras, Ladakh, have also worn the pakol since ancient times, and they refer to it as "Shin Khoyi," which  means the headwear of theShina people. Recently, it was also introduced in the Kashmir Valley by seasonal migrants of ethnicShinshailing from theGurezandTuleilareas in north Kashmir'sBandipore district. [21][22][23]Today, the pakol commonly worn by people of all social classes and backgrounds from Pakistan and Afghanistan, as well as in parts of India, such as inJammu and KashmirandDelhi.
Pakols were introduced toNuristan Provincefrom neighbouringChitralsometime in the late nineteenth century.According to the first proto-ethnographic documentations, the inhabitants ofKafiristan, theNuristanis, went about without any headgear.They also used to shave their head, leaving a small patch on the crown where the hair is left to grow, hanging down often as far as the waist.
In the earliest source of the pakol in Nuristan byGeorge Scott Robertson, he refers to the pakol as theChitrali capand states that it was only worn in theBashgul valley, the easternmost valley of Kafiristan bordering Chitral, and the hat was acquired from Chitral in the further east through trade.This point is confirmed by the headgear worn by the men depicted in the huge woodcarvings, known asgandauws, for which the Kafiris were famous, which all date from before the Afghan occupation of Kafiristan in the late 1890s, where the men are shown wearing turbans.Additionally, the elderly and the young initiated among theKalash, now living just across the border in Pakistan, also traditionally wore a turban, while all the others wore thepakol.
Pakols must have spread at a quick pace among the locals, now renamedNuristanis, after and partially as a consequence of the conquest of Kafiristan byAbdul Rahman Khanof Afghanistan.The opening up of the valleys to increased contact and trade, and the population's conversion toIslam, induced the residents to abandon their previously distinctive hairstyle and cover their heads with hats.The adoption of specific items of clothing to mark a new identity, especially a religious one, is well established in history.
In the 1980s, the pakol gained popularity in large parts of Afghanistan as the favourite easy to wear headgear of theMujahideen, who fought against theDemocratic Republic of Afghanistanand theirSovietsupporters.One of the most famous people wearing the pakol was the military leader of thePanjshir Valley,Ahmad Shah Massoud. In those years, people from all over Afghanistan, but especially from among theTajikpopulation of Panjshir, who lived in an area bordering Nuristan, donned the pakol in order to show their opposition to the government.
In 1992, the Mujahideen took control of the capitalKabul, and since the Tajiks from the northeast of the country played a dominant role in the formation of the new government ofIslamic State of Afghanistan, their pakol became the dominant headgear of the Afghan capital.However, the civil war between the various Mujahideen parties continued with the new appearance of theTaliban, who were mainly Pashtuns from the south of the country and opposed to the pakol wearing Mujahideen from the northeast.The Taliban used to wear turbans, the traditional Pashtun headgear, preferably the dark variety ofKandahar, while their opponents continued to wear the pakol.When the Taliban took control of Kabul in September 1996, the pakol disappeared from the streets, only to return when in November 2001, theNorthern Alliancewith the help of the American army managed to dispel the Taliban.At that time the pakol again gained popularity, while the Pashtuns from the south and southeast of the country, who used to form the core of the Taliban movement, still preferred to wear a turban.
The pakol has traditionally been worn in India by theShina peopleof northern Jammu and Kashmir'sGurez Valley,andtulail valleyas well as in Ladakh'sDras Valley.Pakols have also been worn in theKashmir Valley,where they were introduced by seasonal migrants of ethnic Shins/Dards, hailing from Gurez.A columnist with a valley based newspaper, said about the cap that it became popular in the 1950s after being sported byBakshi Ghulam Mohammad, theChief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir.The pakol has become popular in other parts ofIndia, such as inDelhi, it is also sold by Afghans living in India. It also gained popularity in Muslim majority areas in northern India, especially areas around shrines where the twisted variety is especially popular.
Within Pakistan and Afghanistan, there are different types of pakol worn by various ethnic groups and regions. These differences lie in shapes and styles, and are sometimes unique to a certain region or ethnic group.
The traditional pakol hat is a soft, woollen hat that is flat, and rims are rolled into the headwear to be worn. It is made out of wool and comes in a variety of colours, usually natural earth colours being the most popularly worn. It is mainly worn inKhyber Pakhtunkhwaprovince,Gilgit-Baltistan, and Afghanistan
The Chitrali pakol is worn by theChitral Scoutsof Northern Pakistan. It is white, has amarkhorinsignia, and dons a peacock feather. It is considered a sign of dignity and honour amongst the Chitrali community and they usually present it to famous guests. This style of pakol is unique to the region.Princess Diana,Kate MiddletonandPrince Williamwore it during their visits to Pakistan.
The twisted pakol is another variant of the pakol; it has two layers and the rims are twisted. It is made with pure wool and comes in different colours and sizes. Twisted pakols are common inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Afghanistan and Kashmir. They are lighter in weight and can be adjusted more easilythan traditional ones.
Worn inWaziristan,tribal areas of Pakistan, this type of pakol is usually and almost uniquely worn by the Pashtuns ofWaziristansuch as theMahsud,Dawar, andWazirtribes. The stark difference between theWaziristanpakol, and the regular pakol, is that it is larger in size, and the edges are curved ridges. It is unique to theWaziristanregions and is also made out of pure wool, available in different colours, just like the traditional pakol.It is also worn by Kin Pashtun tribes across the border in Afghanistan inPaktiaandKhostprovinces; usually they are also decorated with flowers, Unlike the Chitralis who decorate it with feathers. It is considered a common men's headwear.