Afghanistan: People and Culture - Essay Example

Afghanistan is an Islamic state and is landlocked which means that it has no sea routes. It can be considered as present in the center of Asia. The citizens of Afghanistan are called Afghans or Afghanis (Dupree, 1977). The name of the state Afghanistan is given to it because it is the land of Afghans as they are the nationals of the country. The people of Afghanistan speak Pushto and Persian along with many local dialects. Afghanistan is a rich state in terms of culture and traditions (Jawad, 1992). The people of Afghanistan consider themselves strongly associated with their culture, religion, identity, and freedom (Toynbee, 1961).

Afghans live in form of Clans and are deeply rooted in the clan system. They felt associated with other clan members and are always ready to secure their clan members from any attack or inconvenience from any side (Jawad, 1992). The country has gone through many hard conditions of warfare and foreign invasion due to which, the country along with its people and culture has suffered immensely (Rall, 2002). The country is mostly mountainous with green valleys in between. There are also plains and deserts in Afghanistan.

Due to warfare in Afghanistan, many Afghans moved away from Afghanistan to neighboring states such as Pakistan and Iran (Rall, 2002). The people of Afghanistan are divided into many ethnicities or it can be said that Afghanistan is a country of people with mixed ethnicities (Toynbee, 1961). It has a multiethnic culture but as far as religion is concerned, the dominant religion is Islam. The ethnic groups in Afghanistan are Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, Uzbeks, Turkmen, Baluch, Nuristani, Pashai, Aimak, and Arabs (Dupree, 1977). The Afghani people are identified according to their ethnicity using they're being resided at different locations in Afghanistan.

Nearly ninety-nine percent population of Afghanistan is Muslim with one percent of Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, and Jews (Vogelsang, 2002). Pashtuns are the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan and are also regarded as the Afghans but they cannot be regarded as the leading group (Jawad, 1992). Afghanistan’s population is multiethnic and so are their cultures. There are slight differences in cultures as most of the population share the same religion and religious rites for leading their lives (Rall, 2002).

Many historical sites in Afghanistan attract tourists towards them because of their beauty and historical recordings of the land. The famous cultural game of Afghans is Buzkushi, which matches polo in terms of its style (Dupree, 1977). Horse riders are divided into two teams that are involved in capturing a goat's body. The Afghans also conduct the races of dogs. Education and literacy level in Afghanistan is very stumpy as most people are not much interested in getting an education. Despite all this, Persian poetry is regarded as a strong form of poetry and is well-liked by Afghan nationals. Afghani people conduct contests of poetry because it is so well-liked among the common masses (Jawad, 1992).

Many scholars and poets come up with fame based on their learning and skill at writing poetry in the past. There were many scholars in the past that came up with knowledge such as science, history, medicine, astronomy, and religion. The poets of Afghanistan that are well-known are Maulana Rumi, Nasir Khusraw, Rabia Balkhi, Farrukhi Sistani, and many others (Dupree, 1977).

The city of Kabul was famous for music of both kinds, conventional music, and modern music but after the taking over of the Taliban, this musical culture of the city was badly disrupted and spoiled (Vogelsang, 2002). The tribal system of Afghans is very strong and influential in the state because all the jurisdictions and other political and social decisions take place by the tribunal committees of the state (Jawad, 1992). Whether the problem is related to an individual or the whole community, the tribunal committee is the one responsible for making decisions and allowing the performing of certain tasks.

Afghans are strongly associated with tribunal systems and are loyal to their community, their tribunal leaders, and their chiefs. The people of Afghanistan keep arms and weapons with them because it is their cultural need (Dupree, 1977). The men of the society consider their weapons as a source of honor and self-security. Due to keeping weapons always with them, there are many tribunal clashes (Vogelsang, 2002). Afghans consider living in groups as a source of security and a better livelihood.

It is quite clear that Afghanistan is a country where people from different ethnicities are found but the impact is there because they follow the same religion as the major religion is Islam in Afghanistan. There is a tribunal system followed in Afghanistan and people take all their problems to the tribunal chief or clan leader. The major ethnic group in Afghanistan is the Pashtuns group or Afghan group; other groups are also present in good ratios. Poetry is well-liked in Afghanistan and also there are poetic competitions in Afghanistan.