100 years of Women in Afghanistan
The Gabriela Hearst Spring Summer 2027 collection honors the women of Afghanistan, centering their experience over the last 100 years. The season pays tribute to the region’s rich creative and textile traditions, studying their practical and cultural functions and working directly with the Afghan women artisans who continue to preserve and develop this heritage through their craft.
TURKMEN · Traditional Women’s Dress
- Women’s jewelry could include elaborate crowns and headdresses, pendants, earrings, pectoral ornaments, amulet holders, armbands, braid ornaments, and rings
- Silver was often embellished with gilding and set with carnelian, turquoise, or colored glass.
- Embroidered caps (tahya/takhya) were also worn, with styles varying among Turkmen communities
- Among Tekke Turkmen women, the chyrpy was an embroidered mantle worn over the head and shoulders, with long false sleeves hanging down the back. Its color could indicate the wearer’s stage of life: dark blue or black for a young woman, yellow for a middle-aged married woman, and white for a matriarch
- Chyrpy embroidery frequently featured stylized floral motifs, particularly tulips. Other traditional Turkmen decorative arts incorporated geometric, floral, and abstract animal forms
Traditional Turkmen Women’s Dress, Northern Afghanistan, 1970s–1980s
Turkmen Woman’s dress, 1990
Headdress for a Married Woman, Mid-20th Century
Turkmen Woman’s dress, 1990
Tekke carpet textile reference
The Tekke are one of the major Turkmen groups of Central Asia. Their handwoven carpets and textiles are distinguished by rich red tones and repeating geometric gul motifs. Specific gul designs could be associated with particular Turkmen groups and subgroups.
UZBEK · Traditional Women’s Dress
- For special occasions, an ikat or embroidered coat may be worn over the dress
- The more conservative ensemble may include a fitted, open-fronted coat and a long outer coat with false sleeves, draped over the shoulders
- Girls traditionally wear small caps, often made of velvet, while married women may wear a cap or headscarf beneath a large shawl
- A large shawl (chador) may be worn to cover the head and body
- Ikat and embroidery are important features of Uzbek dress in Afghanistan, reflecting broader Central Asian textile traditions
Embroidered Velvet Cap
Suzani Embroidery
Uzbek Reversible Ikat Rob
TAJIK · Traditional Women’s Dress & Textiles
- Dresses made from atlas and adras are strongly associated with Tajik textile culture and are worn for celebrations, ceremonies, and everyday occasions
- Chakan is a colorful embroidery tradition featuring sun-like forms, flowers, leaves, and other symbolic motifs inspired by nature and the cosmos
- Traditional women’s dress often combines a long, loose-fitting tunic or dress with trousers, using richly patterned woven, printed, or embroidered textiles
- Dress traditions vary significantly between Tajik communities & regions across Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the wider Central Asian cultural sphere
Atlas (Ikat) Textile, Tajikistan
CENTRAL ASIAN TEXTILES · Ikat and Embroidery
Tajik Plait Bag
PASHTUN · Traditional Women’s Dress
- Gul-i-pirahan (“flower of the shirt”): embroidered felt roundels traditionally decorated with beads, shells, and metal elements; motifs are associated with good luck, fertility, & prosperity
- Mirrorwork (shisha) appears in some regional and nomadic dress traditions and Shal or chador worn as a head covering
- Kuchi and other nomadic dress may feature elaborate beadwork, metallic trims, amulets, pendants, tassels, and other ornaments
- Festive dress often uses richly colored silk or velvet; deep red is common, with contrasting trousers — sometimes mid-green — creating strong areas of color
Pashtun Women’s dress, early 21st century
Kuchi Dress, Afghanistan 1950
Gul-i Pirahan Dress Ornaments
HAZARA · Traditional Women’s Dress
- A head covering, sometimes worn over a small cap
- A waistcoat, sometimes embellished with buttons, beads, silver coins, and seashells
- More recent styles may feature narrower cuffs and dresses ending at the knee or mid-calf
- Festive examples may be made from velvet in colors including purple and red
Hazara Woman’s Waistcoat, Afghanistan, Early 21st Century
Hazara Woman’s dress, 1960
Hazara Embroidery, Afghanistan
NURISTANI · Traditional Women’s Dress
- Nuristani women traditionally wore trousers with a dress featuring a front neck opening. Dresses were often made from dark-colored silk or cotton and embellished around the neckline with metal thread embroidery
- Contemporary traditional women’s dress may include a waisted dress with a collar — a distinctive feature in the Afghan context — paired with similarly colored trousers, often embroidered at the cuffs, and a large chador or head covering
Nuristani Woman’s Dress, Afghanistan, Early 21st Century
Trousers, Afghanistan, Early 21st Century
1901 – 1919 · Late Emirate
His wife, Bobo Jan, was an unusually visible and politically engaged royal figure: she reportedly appeared publicly in European-style dress without a veil, rode horses, represented her husband in reconciliation efforts between feuding groups, and trained her maidservants in military exercises.
1919 – 1929 · An Era of Reform
for girls, with Queen Soraya playing a central role in its establishment. Women’s education expanded during the decade, and in 1928 a group of Masturat graduates was sent to Turkey to continue their studies. Soraya and members of Amanullah’s family, including his sisters, became prominent advocates for women’s education and greater participation in public life. Amanullah’s government also introduced marriage reforms that recognized women’s right to consent to or choose a spouse and sought to restrict forced marriage and other customary practices. His sister Seraj al-Banat emerged as an important public advocate for women’s education and social participation, speaking publicly in 1923 against assumptions of women’s intellectual inferiority.
1960s – 1970 · Women in Government and Workforce
These developments reflected expanding educational, professional, and political opportunities for women, particularly among Afghanistan’s urban population. Women worked in fields including health care, education, government, and other professions, although access to these opportunities remained far more limited for women in rural areas
1979 – 1989 · Soviet - Afghan War
1989 – 1996 · Civil War
intensified among rival mujahideen factions — Afghan armed groups that had fought the Soviet occupation and Soviet-backed government during the previous decade. Political instability and violence severely disrupted education, employment, and public life, reversing many of the opportunities women had gained. Many Afghans were displaced or fled the country,
including educated and professional women. Human rights organizations documented killings, abductions, rape, and other forms of sexual violence by armed factions. The fragmentation of political authority contributed to the conditions in which the Taliban emerged in the mid-1990s.
1996 – 2001 · Taliban I
documented arbitrary detention, public beatings, and other forms of physical abuse against women who were accused of violating Taliban rules. Many
Afghans were displaced or fled the country during this period.
2001 – 2021 · U.S. Intervention & Reconstruction
2021 – Present · Taliban II
BIBLIOGRAPHY · Source
1901–1919 LATE EMIRATE (Habibullah Khan) Dupree, Nancy Hatch. Women in Afghanistan, 1986. Abdur Rahman Khan. The Life of Abdur Rahman, Amir of Afghanistan, 1900. Ahmed-Ghosh, Huma. “A History of Women in Afghanistan: Lessons Learnt for the Future or Yesterdays and Tomorrow: Women in Afghanistan.” Journal of International Women’s Studies, 2003. 1919–1929 AN ERA OF REFORM Ahmed-Ghosh, Huma. “A History of Women in Afghanistan: Lessons Learnt for the Future or Yesterdays and Tomorrow: Women in Afghanistan.” Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 4, no. 3, 2003, pp. 1–14. Dupree, Louis. Afghanistan. Princeton University Press, 1973. Emadi, Hafizullah. Repression, Resistance, and Women in Afghanistan. Praeger, 2002. Gregorian, Vartan. The Emergence of Modern Afghanistan: Politics of Reform and Modernization, 1880–1946. Stanford University Press, 1969. Adamec, Ludwig W. Afghanistan, 1900–1923: A Diplomatic History. University of California Press, 1967. 1960s–1970s WOMEN IN GOVERNMENT AND WORKFORCE Dupree, Louis. Afghanistan. Princeton University Press, 1973. Emadi, Hafizullah. Repression, Resistance, and Women in Afghanistan. Praeger, 2002. Emadi, Hafizullah. “Establishment of Afghanistan’s Parliament and the Role of Women Parliamentarians: Retrospect and Prospects.” Internationales Asienforum, vol. 39, nos. 1–2, 2008, pp. 5–19. Samady, Saif R. Education and Afghan Society in the Twentieth Century. UNESCO, 2001. Encyclopaedia Iranica. “Education xxvii. In Afghanistan” and “Elections.” 1979–1989 SOVIET–AFGHAN WAR Samady, Saif R. Education and Afghan Society in the Twentieth Century. Paris: UNESCO, 2001. Amiri, Rina, Swanee Hunt, and Jennifer Sova. “Transition Within Tradition: Women’s Participation in Restoring Afghanistan.” World Policy Journal, vol. 21, no. 3, 2004. Sokhanwar, M. Davood, Seyed Mahdi Sajjadi, Yahia Baiza, and Mohsen Imani. “Gender Justice Discourse in the Educational System of Afghanistan During the Marxist Period (1978–1992).” Policy Futures in Education, vol. 16, 2018. Al-Shammary, Mashael. “Women’s Education: Cultural and Religious Solutions from the Heart of Afghanistan.” Middle East Council on Global Affairs, 2023.
BIBLIOGRAPHY · Source
2001 – 2021 U.S. INTERVENTION & RECONSTRUCTION Human Rights Watch. We Want to Live as Humans: Repression of Women and Girls in Western Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch, 2002. Amnesty International. Afghanistan: “No One Listens to Us and No One Treats Us as Human Beings”: Justice Denied to Women. Amnesty International, 2003. Amnesty International. Afghanistan: Women Call on the International Community to Support Women’s Rights amid Ongoing Taliban Peace Talks. Amnesty International, 2021. UN Women. Afghanistan / reporting on Afghan women’s political, social, and economic participation, 2021. European Parliamentary Research Service. Women’s Rights in Afghanistan. European Parliament, 2023. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian. Historical material on the September 11 attacks and U.S. intervention in Afghanistan. 2021–PRESENT TALIBAN II UN Women. Afghanistan Gender Country Profile 2024. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 2024. UN Women. Resolve of Afghan Women in the Face of Erasure: Three Years Since the Taliban Takeover. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 2024. UN Women. Gender Alert: Four Years of Taliban Rule: Afghan Women Resist as Restrictions Tighten. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, 2025. UNESCO and UNICEF. “UNESCO and UNICEF Urge Action to Protect the Right to Education in Afghanistan.” 24 January 2026.
