Interesting Facts about Afghanistan

Did You Know?

11 curious facts about Afghanistan.

When Afghan children lose their teeth, they drop their tooth inside a mouse hole, saying, "Take my dirty old tooth and give me your small clean one instead."
In the Qunduz area of northern Afghanistan, wild tulips bloom in the spring.
The historic Khyber Pass joins Afghanistan and Pakistan. Running through the mountains between Kabul, Afghanistan, and Peshawar in Pakistan, the narrow pass climbs to 1,066 meters (3,510 feet). The pass offers both a paved road and a caravan track.
Afghans traditionally celebrate the birth of a child on its sixth day. On this day the baby is given a name, and guests visit with gifts.

Afghanistan is one of the world's leading producers of lapis lazuli, a blue, semi-precious stone.
Some Afghan men fly “fighter kites” in competitions. Made with tissue paper and bamboo and painted with elaborate designs, the kites may have wing spans up to 1.5 meters. Kite-flying line (called tar), which is usually homemade, is coated with glass so flyers can attempt to cut down each other’s kites.
In the Nuristani area, Afghans play a form of hockey that uses a stick with a round head.
Abdul Ahad Momand was the first Afghan in space. Born in 1959, he trained as a pilot and was chosen to be part of a cosmonaut team that flew to the Russian space station Mir in 1988.
Tea is the national drink of Afghanistan.
The area now called Afghanistan, which means “land of the Afghans,” has had other names in the past. One of the first ancient names was “Ariana.” Later it was called “Khras,” which means “land of the sun.”