plastic comb binding, text clean, binding tight, edge wear, 1987, 82 pages, Additional Details ------------------------------ Product description: "..the..meaning of the word 'afghan' refers to the spiritual station of the soul, characterized by the one who has achieved true purity". This spiritual essence pervades the hospitality of the Afghan family and provides an enhanced enjoyment of the delicate, often centuries-old dishes presented to their guests. Despite the perception by some of a poor impoverished people, the Afghans were healthy, reverent and prosperous....dressed in beautiful traditional (embroidered)clothing..their homes abound(ed) with hand-woven elaborately embroidered items made from natural fabrics like silk, wool and cotton....an isolated mountain kingdom it was an ancient highly civilized society....(that) had a pyramid structure...the king headed the pyramid, his relatives...occupied the next level,(were) the nobility, merchants, artisans, farmers, herdsmen were next..and laborers were the lowest class. Pervading all levels was a deeply religious core that gave the Afghans a unique peace, dignity and serenity of soul as well as a deep sense of personal identity...(one of their 3 great laws) "hospitality" stemmed from the idea that they were "Servants of God" from the king to the poorest subject...food was a key element...home grown without... herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, hormones (or genetic engineering). Afghans ate only the foods in season...fresh daily...from their own gardens and farms...leftover(s)..handed to the poor who come...in the late afternoon...(to) ask and receive in the name of God. Being a woman alone in Afghanistan, I was immediately taken into the bosom of the family and gained a unique perspective on the culture known only to a few foreignors...the wife would be at the head of a group of female (relatives)..silence would descend until she "looked into my soul" through my eyes for... 10 seconds and declared me her sister by throwing her scarf around my neck.