Home / Bazaar / Khyber Pakhtunkhwa / Chitrali pakol
To wear · Gifts
Rolled wool cap
A soft wool cap with a rolled brim, made for mountain winters.
$15–40
Find Chitrali caps on Etsy ↗If you buy through this link we may earn a small commission. It never changes your price.
The story
The pakol is the round wool cap of Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and the Afghan borderlands. It is a flat-topped bag of wool with the sides rolled up tightly to form a thick brim.
You roll the brim down on cold days and up on warmer ones. Chitralis present it, often with a feather, to honoured guests.
In pictures
Photos coming soon. Each frame below says what it will show.
History
The cap is a long-standing part of mountain dress in the region and is worn by farmers, shopkeepers and politicians alike.
How it’s made
Local wool is spun and woven.
The cloth is felted to make it dense and warm.
It is sewn into a flat-topped cylinder.
The sides are rolled up to form the brim.
Kinds
Rolled brim, sometimes with a feather.
Undyed natural wool.
In Pakistan
An everyday cap in the mountains, and a gift to visitors.
Buy it well
| Genuine | Likely a copy |
|---|---|
| Dense, slightly coarse wool | Shiny, light acrylic |
Where to buy
We may earn a small commission. Your price is the same.
Find Chitrali caps on Etsy ↗Typical price: $15–40, before shipping. Read the “Buy it well” checks above before you order, and ask the seller for photos of the exact piece.
Questions
Measure around your head just above the ears, in centimetres.
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