This document provides an overview of Afghan culture, including greetings, communication styles, personal space, eye contact, views of time, gender roles, gestures, taboos, law and order, dress, titles and business cards, meetings, negotiations, gift giving, education, socializing, and public holidays. Key points include that Afghanistan is a patriarchal society where women have limited opportunities and are expected to adhere to conservative dress and behavior codes, and indirect communication is preferred, especially between genders or when speaking to elders.

1. Afghan Culture
By: Sayed Mohammad Naim KHALID
Masters’ Student
ISA – Lille France
09 Oct 2011
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3. INTRODUCTION (1/2)
 NAME: Afghanistan
 LOCATION: Central Asia
 GOVERNMENT: Islamic republic
 AREA: 652,000 km2
 CAPITAL: Kabul
 BIG CITIEIS: Kabul, Kandahar, Heart, Mazar,
Jalalabad
 BORDERS: China, Iran, Pakistan,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan
 CLIMATE: continental, hot summer and cold
winters
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4. INTRODUCTION (2/2)
 OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Dari (official) 50%,
Pashtu (official) 35%, Turkic languages (primarily
Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages
(primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%.
 MAJOR RELIGION(S): Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a
Muslim 19%, other 1%.
 MAJOR ETHNICGROUPS:Pashtun 42%, Tajik
27%, Hazara 9%, Uzbek 9%, Aimak 4%, Turkmen
3%, Baloch 2%, other 4%.
 POPULATION: 30 million
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7. GREETINGS (1/3)
 Men greeting Men - Men usually shake hands
when greeting one another during an initial
meeting as well as in formal situations. Hugging
and backslapping are common greetings among
friends and family members. Some may
exchange kisses on the cheek.
 Women greeting Women - Women generally
kiss each other, starting with the left cheek and
then switching to the right cheek. Some will kiss
one cheek, but most kiss two or four or even up 8
times (alternating cheeks). A handshake is
common for initial meetings.
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8. GREETINGS (2/3)
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9. GREETINGS (3/3)
 Greetings between Men and Women - If a
woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she
should extend her hand first. It is common for
men and woman to exchange verbal greetings
when first meeting in social situations. It generally
not acceptable for women to touch men in public.
 Note: Greetings are very important and usually
consist of a lengthy exchange of questions
regarding your health, the well-being of your
family and general pleasantries. Asking someone
a direct question without going through the
greeting questions first, is usually considered very
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rude.

10. COMMUNICATION STYLE (1/1)
 Afghans tend to favor a mix of indirect and direct
communication style.
 When speaking to elders and members of the
opposite sex, the style is mostly indirect.
 When speaking to people one's own age or
younger, the style is usually direct.
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11. PERSONAL SPACE & TOUCHING
(1/2)
 At least an arm's length of personal space is
common when speaking to members of the
opposite gender. This space tends to be closer
with members of the same gender.
 Male friends often walk holding hands or with
their arms around each other, but men and
women hardly ever display any form of physical
affection in public.
 Between friends and family members of the same
gender, touching of theshoulders, and back
slapping are common during conversations.
 There is no touching between genders after the
initial handshake, and only if the woman offers
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her hand.

12. PERSONAL SPACE & TOUCHING
(2/2)
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13. EYE CONTACT (1/1)
 Direct eye contact is usually
the norm between members
of the same gender and
age.
 Indirect eye contact is
usually the norm when
speaking to elders and
members of the opposite
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gender.

14. VIEWS OF TIME (1/1)
 Afghanis view time as something flexible. They
put more emphasis on people and relationships,
rather than the meeting of deadlines and keeping
to set schedules.
 With shop owners and merchants, punctuality
isn't usually valued but in business situations
punctuality is expected.
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15. GENDER ISSUES (1/2)
 Work opportunities for women are limited
depending on social class.
 Afghanistan is a patriarchal society. Women are
restricted in many ways by their men and always
do what they say.
 Women are still expected to do most if not all of
the cooking and cleaning,along with the child
rearing.
 Women are expected to keep their heads covered
in public. This is not usually the case for foreign
women, but it may be appreciated.
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16. GENDER ISSUES (2/2)
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17. GESTURES (1/2)
 People usually point towards something using the
index finger.
 Hooking the index fingers hand fingers together
indicates an agreement with each other.
 Use the right hand to give and receive objects
and to shake hands.
 Thumbs up means OK, cool, positive, good-luck,
thanks, you're cool, I agree. Thumbs down
means the opposite.
 It is polite to take your shoes off when entering
homes, offices, and most places of worship.
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18. GESTURES (2/2)
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19. TABOOS (1/2)
 Don’t point the toe or heel or any part of the foot at
any person.
 Don’t show the sole of your foot or use the foot to
move anything as it is viewed as the lowliest body
part.
 It is very rude for men and women to show affection to
each other in public.
 Avoid raising your voice or yelling at someone in
public.
 Avoid winking as it is generally construed as a come
on.
 It is polite to accept offer of tea when visiting homes
19 and some offices. Rejecting the offer will most likely

20. TABOOS (2/2)
42
39
0
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21. LAW & ORDER (1/2)
 The legal smoking age is 18 but it is not enforced
at all. Cigarettes and cigars are readily
available.
 Being in possession of small quantities of drugs
will be subject to fines and/or jail or alternative
penalties such as community service or drug
treatment. However, as a foreigner could be
deported or sent to jail depending on the
situation.
 If you are caught trying to take drugs in or out of
the country, it is an automatic jail sentence.
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 39 means you are Pemp (not sure of spelling)

22. LAW & ORDER (2/2)
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23. DRESS (1/3)
 For Men- Conservative suits and shoes are
common in most business situations. Dark colors
tend to be the norm. Most men wear
the traditional Afghan dress consisting of a long
shirt and trousers.
 For Women- Dress should always lean toward
the conservative side. Avoid any tight fitting or
revealing clothing. Skirts/dresses should be knee
length or longer. Wearing a headscarf is
advisable and showing as little skin as possible is
best.
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24. DRESS (2/3)
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25. DRESS (3/3)
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26. TITLES & BUSINESS CARDS
 Common titles include Mr. and Mrs. followed by
the last name. People will also use titles
for Doctors, Lawyers, Government officials, etc.
 There is no specific ritual surrounding the giving
or receiving of business cards. Many people do
not have any to give so if you do receive one, it's
best to treat it with respect.
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27. MEETINGS (1/2)
 Business meetings do not usually begin on time,
however it is a good idea for a foreigner to be
punctual.
 Small talk almost always precedes any formal
conversations. It's appropriate to inquire about
one's health, families, etc., before dealing with
business. The "get to the point" mentality is
usually seen as rude. Setting a friendly mood will
get you a lot further than trying to be direct about
anything.
 Interruptions are quite common and agendas
tend to be followed loosely if at all. It's best to
remain patient and follow along.
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28. MEETINGS (2/2)
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29. NEGOTIATIONS (1/1)
 Bargaining is acceptable in most situations.
 Decisions tend to come from the top down and
may take awhile to be reached. With this in mind
it is always best to negotiate with the most
senior person one has access to.
 Negotiation styles can change depending on
where you are in the country.
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30. GIFT GIVING (1/1)
 If invited over for dinner or a drink to
an Afghani's home, you should bring a gift. Avoid
bringing alcohol unless you are sure they drink
and even then it's best to be discreet about
it. Appropriate gifts include desserts or pastries.
 Gifts are usually wrapped nicely and presented in
a subtle manner.
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31. CLASS RULES (SCHOOLING) (1/1)
 In urban environments it is common for students to
wear jeans and shirts, but in the country side
traditional clothing is more common with white colors
for boys and black for girls and girls must wear head
scarves.
 Grades in most universities are given on the 0 -100
with 100 being the highest. Passing is 50 and less
then 50 is failing.
 Students are required to attend at least 75 percent of
the classes for an individual course in order to be
eligible for the final exam.
 Lectures are the most common teaching method and
it is the only method at many universities. It is
commonplace for students to take down everything
31 the professor says and then use their notes when

32. SOCIALIZING (1/1)
 Most people socialize by joining parties and going
to each others house.Socializing is more common
with members of the same sex.
 Social networks are very highly developed and
every one respects them. Drinking is highly
prohibited, especially in public places.
 Smoking is not acceptable inside of the
classroom or in front of elders and professors.
 Dating is very limited and pretty much non-
existent.
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33. PUBLIC HOLIDAYS (1/1)
 Eid el fiter ( After fasting month)
 Eid el Adha ( After haj)
 Ashoora ( 10th of Moharram)
 Mawlood Al Nabi ( 12th of Rabie el Awal)
 Nawrooz (March 21st )
 Jeshan Azadi (Aug 19th independence day)
 Labor day
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34. Resources
 http://www.culturecrossing.net/basics_business_s
tudent_details.php?Id=27&CID=1 ( consulted on
09 10 2011)
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