Afghan Women Hope To Preserve Unique, Ancient Wood-Carving Craft

An Afghan woman engages in Nuristani wood carving at a workshop in Herat on November 29.

A group of four women has dedicated themselves to preserving an ancient tradition of wood carving found in a mountainous and remote region of eastern Afghanistan.

Over the past three years, they have worked hard to produce intricate carvings that previously adorned houses and mosques, as well as unique pieces previously found in many homes in the isolated region.

 

The carvings are done by hand with the use of one chisel.

The centuries-old, traditional style of Nuristani wood carving was named after the people who occupied the region of Kafiristan, or "Land of Infidels," so named because most of the isolated inhabitants who created the ancient artworks were pagans.

Though the wood carvings held symbolic significance in pre-Islamic Nuristan, the craftsmen came from Bari, a lower caste, who were not considered members of Nuristan's hierarchical society.

These women are among the few in Herat working to keep this traditional craft alive.

 

The design of the Nuristani style of woodworking is socially symbolic and often used to signal or signify acts of bravery, such as in hunting. 

Due to the social restrictions placed on the Bari, they were forbidden from using these motifs in their homes. They later converted to Islam in the late 19th century after an autocratic Afghan king came to rule the vast forested region.

A piece of Nuristani art crafted by the Afghan women.

Over the last few decades, these traditional craftsmen have dwindled in number due to various factors such as migration, the use of plastics and steel to replace wood, and less interest in taking up traditional crafts.

 

Though the women have noticed a decline in business compared to previous years, these new artisans hope to continue working in a nearly forgotten craft and entice new generations.