Nasar Zada
Every year on May 2, the people of the Lower Dir district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa celebrate White Cap Day. The tradition involves wearing a handmade white cap known as the Dir cap (or Dirojay Cap locally), which is made by women in the area.
According to Muhammad Saleh, a local resident, the tradition of the Dir cap dates back to the reign of Nawab of Dir and is over 100 years old, adding that the cap is made using white cloth and woolen thread and can be made by hand or machine.
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Handmade caps are more expensive, with prices ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 rupees, while machine-made caps are less expensive, he added.
Umm e Adnan, an expert in making the Dir cap, said that she has been making the caps for the past twenty years. She explained that it takes a whole day to make a cap and that the cap is in high demand among men of all ages.
The caps are sold in over fifty shops in Timergara and Khal Bazar in Lower Dir, as well as in special shops dedicated to the Dir cap in other bazaars of the district, she added.
Miftahuddin, another local resident, said that the Dir cap is an important part of the region's culture and tradition. He added that the caps are popular not only in Pakistan, but also in foreign countries like Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, the United States, and England.
However, Miftahuddin also noted that while the women who make the caps put in a lot of effort, their work is not always properly recognized. He called on the government to provide modern machines to help the women make the caps more efficiently and to promote their work at the global level.
Despite these challenges, the tradition of the Dir cap continues to thrive in Lower Dir. On White Cap Day, people of all ages take to social media to share pictures of themselves wearing the iconic white cap, celebrating the unique culture and heritage of their region.
