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In a frenzy of needlework, a den of Afghan tailors fashion customised suits for upcoming Eid-al-Fitr, with bejewelled outfits adding vital sparkle to muted celebrations of the Muslim holiday.
At the Crystal Siddiqui shop in northern Kabul, tailors have worked 19-hour days in the holy month of Ramadan, creating 5,000 shalwar kameez — loose-fitting men’s ensembles with a long flowing shirt.
“It is Ramadan — a month full of blessings,” said Shayeq Siddiqui, who helps run the family business.
“When someone wears new things, whether they are clothes or shoes, they give a new spirit and energy to that person,” the 23-year-old told AFP.
While the end of the two-decade Taliban insurgency has lifted the burden of war, allowing families to reunite across the country, Afghanistan remains one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world, according to the United Nations (UN).
And Afghan culture, already deeply conservative, has been subject to government decrees that have effectively banned music and seen women relegated from many public spaces including parks.
But women’s tailors still do brisk business selling bright dresses to be worn behind closed doors — contrasting with the dour all-covering burqa encouraged by Taliban authorities in public.
