Image: Afghan royal soldiers of the Durrani Empire

Description: Dourraunnee chieftains in full armour This lithograph was taken from the frontispiece of 'Afghaunistan' by Lieutenant James Rattray. Two Afghan nobles of the Durrani tribe are depicted, fully armed, with their helmets decorated with peacock feathers. Rattray wrote: "This costume of the Douranee warriors gives a fair idea of the style of armour worn by the Afghaun noblesse, though it was not a common occurrence to meet with them so completely clothed in clinquant mail as they are represented in the frontispiece." Peacock feathers were a symbol of royalty. Egret plumes were specially presented by the Emir as a mark of honour to the chiefs who merited the distinction. Rattray had often been shown the shirts of mail worn by the Afghans under their silk kameezes (shirts) as a protection against assassins' daggers. Sometimes they also wore a "shawl around the steel head-piece, the nose-plate and the plume alone attracting attention to the fact of their being helmeted at all".
Title: Afghan royal soldiers of the Durrani Empire
Credit: The British Library - Online Gallery
Author: James Rattray (1818-1854)
Permission: This work is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less. This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published (or registered with the U.S. Copyright Office) before January 1, 1923. This file has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No