Afghanistan

Comments

Glasgow Museums has a collection of approximately 47 items from Afghanistan. These date from about 1830 to 1960. This collection contains 10 East India Company coins dating from 1835, several medals relating to the Highlanders and others at Kabul and Kandahar, and also a Qur’an and a paper charm from the battlefield of Kabul in 1879 and a 19th century sword. The 31 items of textiles and costume include three shawls from Herat, a military coat made of sheepskin, a girl’s embroidered dress, a man’s wedding shirt, three other garments, three caps and a hat, a girdle, a pair of socks and a slipper. There are eight examples of white-work embroidery on Dutch cloth made for the Afghani market. The collection further includes three tent cushions, a tent hanging, two carpets, a salt bag, headgear for a camel and and decoration for a horse. Notably, there is also an invitation from the Lord Provost of Glasgow to meet the Khan of Afghanistan, dated 14 June 1895. Afghanistan is a predominantly Muslim country with a multi-cultural population. It gained independence from British rule in 1919. Geographically, Afghanistan is a mountainous landlocked region, sharing borders with Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. It is associated with the Silk Road, a series of routes that extended from China to the Mediterranean Sea, through which the East and West were able to exchange culture and trade goods by connecting merchants, pilgrims and traders.

Broader term

Central Asia

Staff Contact

Noorah Al-Gailani

Key Objects

Key Objects