Culture of Afghanistan

The culture of Afghanistan has persisted for over three millennia, tracing record to at least the time of the Achaemenid Empire in 500 BCE, and encompasses the cultural diversity of the nation. Afghanistan's culture is historically strongly connected to nearby Persia, including the same religion, as the people of both countries have lived together for thousands of years. Its location at the crossroads of Central, South and Western Asia historically made it a hub of diversity, dubbed by one historian as the "roundabout of the ancient world".

Afghanistan is a mostly tribal society with different regions of the country having their own subculture. Despite this, nearly all Afghans follow Islamic traditions, celebrate the same holidays, dress the same, consume the same food, listen to the same music and are multi-lingual to a certain extent. Its culture is strongly tied with elements of Turko-Persian and Indo-Persian cultures, which can be seen in the likes of language, cuisine or classical music.

Afghan culture is increasingly becoming a dynamic realm of academic study in scholarly terms. In more recent history, Afghan culture has been threatened and fragmented due to the prolonged conflict in the country.