Pakistan is a country of many ethnic groups and cultures. This is apparent not only in the looks of its people and the different languages and dialects they speak, but also in their traditions and dress.
The North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Gilgit-Baltistan have the largest variety of men’s headwear, the most common being the pakol, also known as Chitrali cap.
In Chitral, and Gilgit-Baltistan, the white color pakol is more popular and is sometimes worn with a peacock plume stuck in the folds, like a badge, on the front or the side of the cap. The deep blue and green of the peacock feather, set against the white of the cap, is quite eye catching.
The pakol is made out of coarse woolen cloth, locally known as pattoo. The pattoo is first sewn into the shape of a cylinder, about a foot or more long. One end of the cylinder is capped with a round piece of the same material, slightly wider than the cylinder itself. The woolen cylinder is then inverted and fitted onto a round wooden block; the rim of the woolen cylinder is then rolled up to the top. The flat top protrudes a little over the rolled-up edge to give the cap a tiny brim. Otherwise, all Pakistani headwear, unlike the Western hats, is brimless. This is so because Muslims pray with their heads covered; a brimmed cap or Western hat would interfere with the sajdah (act of prostration during prayers). The little brim of the pakol, however, presents no such problem.The cap comes in various colors: white, gray, and different shades of brown.
The pakol is believed to have originated in Afghanistan, where it is a popular headwear among the people of Northern Afghanistan
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