REIMAGINE A F G H A N I S T A N A N I N I T I A T I V E B Y R A I S I N A H O U S E REIMAGINE A F G H A N I S T A N INTRODUCTION . Afghanistan equals Culture, heritage, music, poet, spirituality, food & so much more. The country had witnessed continuous violence for more than 4 ................................................... decades & this has in turn overshadowed the rich cultural heritage possessed by the country, which has evolved through mellinnias of Cultural interaction & evolution. Reimagine Afghanistan as a digital magazine is an attempt by Raisina House to explore & portray that hidden side of Afghanistan, one that is almost always overlooked by the mainstream media, the side that is Humane. Afghanistan is rich in Cultural Heritage that has seen mellinnias of construction & destruction but has managed to evolve to the better through the ages. Issued as part of our vision project "Rejuvenate Afghanistan", the magazine is an attempt to change the existing perception of Afghanistan as a Country & a society bringing forward that there is more to the Country than meets the eye. So do join us in this journey to explore the People, lifestyle, Art, Food, Music of this Adventure called Afghanistan. C O N T E N T S P A G E 1 AFGHANISTAN COUNTRY PROFILE P A G E 2 - 4 PEOPLE ETHNICITY & LANGUAGE OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 5 - 7 ART OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 8 ARTISTS OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 9 WOOD CARVING IN AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 0 GLASS BLOWING IN AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 1 CARPETS OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 2 CERAMIC WARE OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 3 - 1 4 FAMOUS RECIPES OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 5 AFGHANI POETRY P A G E 1 6 ARCHITECTURE OF AFGHANISTAN P A G E 1 7 REIMAGINING AFGHANISTAN THROUGH CINEMA P A G E 1 8 AFGHANI MOVIE RECOMMENDATION A B O U T A F G H A N I S T A N Afghanistan Country Profile: The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is a landlocked country situated between the crossroads of Western, Central, and Southern Asia and is at the heart of the continent. It is bordered by Pakistan to the south and east, Iran to the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to the north. There is a short border with China to the far northeast via the Wakhan corridor, but in extremely inaccessible terrain. Area: 652,000 km2 (252,000 sq. mi), 41st largest in the world Climate: Arid to semi-arid (cold winters/hot and dry summers) Seasons: (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) Capital: Kabul Total Provinces: 34 Major Commercial Cities: Kabul, Herat, Nangarhar, Mazar-e Sharif, Kandahar, Helmand, Kunduz Flag: R E I M A G I N E A F G H A N I S T A N | P A G E 0 1 P E O P L E & E T H N I C I T Y O F A F G H A N I S T A N P A S H T U N P a s h t u n s m a k e u p a n e s t i m a t e d 4 2 % o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n o f c o n t e m p o r a r y A f g h a n i s t a n . T h e y a r e a l s o k n o w n a s A f g h a n s a n d t h e n a m e ‘ A f g h a n i s t a n ’ t r a n s l a t e s t o ‘ l a n d o f t h e A f g h a n s ’ , e q u a l l y m e a n i n g ‘ l a n d o f t h e P a s h t u n s ’ . P a s h t u n s c a n f u r t h e r b e d i v i d e d i n t o m a j o r s u b - t r i b e s , s u c h a s t h e G h i l z a l i a n d D u r r a n i , a n d s e v e r a l s m a l l e r o n e s , i n c l u d i n g t h e J a j i , S a f i , W a r d a k , S h i n w a r i , T a n i , M o h m a n d , J a r d a n , K h u n g i a n i , a n d M a n g a l . T h e y a r e e a s i l y r e c o g n i z e d b y o t h e r A f g h a n s b y t h e i r P a s h t o l a n g u a g e a n d t h e i r u n i q u e w a y o f l i v i n g c a l l e d P a s h t u n w a l i . P a s h t u n s a r e p r e d o m i n a n t l y M u s l i m . I s l a m h a s a s i g n i f i c a n t i n f l u e n c e o n t h e P a s h t u n c u l t u r e s u c h a s t h e i r c l o t h i n g . T A J I K S T a j i k s a r e b e l i e v e d t o h a v e I r a n i a n o r i g i n s a n d a r e a l s o r e f e r r e d t o a s F a r s i . T h e y a r e t h e s e c o n d - l a r g e s t e t h n i c g r o u p i n A f g h a n i s t a n , m a k i n g u p a n e s t i m a t e d 2 7 % o f t h e n a t i o n ’ s p o p u l a t i o n . T h e y s p e a k a P e r s i a n d i a l e c t k n o w n a s D a r i . A c c o r d i n g t o a U S S t a t e D e p a r t m e n t r e p o r t r e l e a s e d i n 2 0 0 9 , T a j i k s a r e 9 8 % S u n n i M u s l i m s . T a j i k , a l s o s p e l l e d T a d z h i k , s o m e t i m e s c a l l e d ( b e f o r e t h e 2 0 t h c e n t u r y ) S a r t , t h e o r i g i n a l P e r s i a n - s p e a k i n g p o p u l a t i o n o f A f g h a n i s t a n a n d T u r k i s t a n . T h e T a j i k s c o n s t i t u t e a l m o s t f o u r - f i f t h s o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n o f T a j i k i s t a n . U Z B E K U z b e k s f o r m t h e l a r g e s t T u r k i c g r o u p i n A f g h a n i s t a n , a n d t h e y c o n s t i t u t e 9 % o f t h e t o t a l p o p u l a t i o n i n t h e c o u n t r y .