Afghan units of measurement

A variety of units of measurement have been used in Afghanistan to measure length, mass and capacity. Those units were similar to Iranian, Arabian and Indian units.^[1] In 1924, Afghanistan adopted the metric system.^[2][3]

Length

These lengths are not necessarily standardized and could differ between different regions of Afghanistan:^[4]

• 1 gaz-i-shah (Kabul yard) = 1.065 meters (m)
• 1 girah-i gaz-i-shah = 0.066 m
• 1 gaz-i-mimar (mason's yard) = 0.838 m
• 1 gaz-i-jareeb (for land) = 0.736 m
• 1 jareeb (one side) = 44.183 m
• 1 biswah (one side) = 9.879 m
• 1 biswasah (one side) = 2.209 m
• 1 jareeb (land measurement) = 2,000 m² (standardized)
• 1 goes = 1.16 m (45.67 in)^[1]

Weights

• 1 nakhud = 0.19 gram (g)^[4][5]
• 1 misqal = 24 nakhuds = 4.4 g
• 1 khurd = 110.4 g
• 1 pao = 441.6 g
• 1 charak = 1766.4 g = 1.77 kilogram (kg)
• 1 seer = 30 miskals = 7066.0 g = 7.07 kg
• 1 man = 40 seers = 4.5 or more kg
• 1 kharwar = 80 sers = 100 mans = 565,280.0 g = 565.28 kg
• 1 puri = just under 1 kg
• 1 khaltar = approximately 7 kg

Localized differences

British sources from the late 19th and early 20th century described some Afghanese weights as follows:

• 1 Herati seer = 8 tolas = 1⁄10 British (Indian) seer
• 1 Herati man = 40 seers = 4 seers British
• 1 Herati kharwar = 100 mans = 10 maunds British
• 1 Mazar seer = 1 1⁄2 Kabuli seers (11 1⁄4) British seers
• 1 Mazar man = 16 Mazar seers = 4 maunds 20 seers British
• 1 Mazar kharwar = 3 Mazar mans = 13 maunds
• 1 kadam or gaz-i-shari (Turkestan) = 28 inches (pace) = 16 tasa
• 1 farsakh (Herat) or 1 sang (Turkestan) = 12,000 kadam = 5 miles
• 1 grain per kulba (southern Afghanistan) = 50 Kandahari kharwars
• 1 Tashkurghan seer = 9 British seers
• 1 Taskhurghan man = 8 seers = 1 maund 32 seers British
• 1 Kandahari yard = 41 1⁄2 inches British
• 1 tanab (Kandahar) = 85 acres British

See also

• Persian units of measurement
• Arab units of measurement
• Indian units of measurement

References

1. Clarke, F.W. (1891). Weights Measures and Money of All Nations. New York: D. Appleton & Company. p. 10.
2. Proceedings of the 7th General Conference on Weights and Measures Archived 2020-12-04 at the Wayback Machine, 1927, page 68 (French)
3. Cardarelli, F. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Scientific Units, Weights and Measures. Their SI Equivalences and Origins. London: Springer. pp. 7. ISBN 978-1-4471-1122-1.
4. "Afghanistan Gazetteer" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
5. DuPee, M.C. (2009), Afghan Narcotics Terms and Phrases (PDF), Naval Postgraduate School/Program for Culture and Conflict Studies, archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-08-08, retrieved 2018-08-08