Handmade pakol hats
The rolled wool cap of Chitral and Nuristan. Ask for a single hat or a wholesale order, and we will reply with a price.
The rolled wool cap of the Hindu Kush
A pakol is a soft wool cap with a flat, round top and a rolled brim that can be let down over the ears in the cold. It began in Gilgit, in the far north of Pakistan, and came into Nuristan from Chitral in the late nineteenth century; today it is worn across Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.
Where the hat comes from, what the name means, its styles and colours, and how to tell a handmade pakol from a factory copy are all in our article on the pakol. This page is for buying one.
One hat or a wholesale order
Single hats and wholesale orders are both welcome. Prices are quoted on request, for one hat or for many.
What to tell us
- How many hats you want: one, or a number for a shop, a stall, an event or a group.
- The colour or colours.
- The size, as a head measurement in centimetres if you can take one.
- Where the hats are going: the country and the town.
Send us those details by the form, by email or on WhatsApp.
We check with the makers what can be made, in which colours and sizes, and how long it will take.
We reply with a quote: the price for your quantity and how the hats would reach you.
What we are adding to this page
This page is new, and some of what buyers want to know is not on it yet: who makes our pakols and where, the sizes and colours we can supply, photographs of the hats themselves, and where and how we can send them. We will add each of these as we confirm it. Until then, ask about any of them in your enquiry and we will answer it there.
Ordering pakols
Can I order pakol hats wholesale?
Yes, we take wholesale orders for handmade pakol hats, priced on request for the quantity you need. Tell us how many hats you want, in which colours and sizes, and where they are going, and we will check with the makers and reply with a quote.
Can I buy a single pakol from you?
Yes, we source a single handmade pakol as well as wholesale orders, and quote each one on request. Tell us the colour and size you want and where you live, and we will reply with the price and how the hat would reach you.
Where the facts on this page come from
- Wikipedia: Pakol (shape, wool, origin in Gilgit and Chitral, arrival in Nuristan in the late nineteenth century, where it is worn today)
- Fabrizio Foschini, Afghanistan Analysts Network, 3 January 2014: From Alexander the Great to Ahmad Shah Massud, a social history of the pakol (Chitral as the source of the hat and its spread among the Nuristanis)
Related: what a pakol is, and how one is made, Nuristani clothing, Nuristani products.
Plan your Nuristan journey
Ready to plan a visit, source Nuristani products, or discuss an investment? Your message goes to Obaid, who is from Nuristan, and his team in Afghanistan and the UK. We reply to every message.