Tribesmen perform the Khattak Dance in a photograph taken circa 1890.
Khattak dance is an agile martial variation of the traditional Attan dance of the Pashtuns, and is named after the Khattak tribe. The dancers swirl their heads and move while carrying one or more swords and sometimes a handkerchief. Warriors of the Khattak tribe performed this dance before going to war. It has a five step routine, and the drummer usually changes the rhythm to match the technique of the performer.
Attan is likely a variation of the Greek Athena dance that might have become popular among the Pashtuns when the Greeks colonized their lands.
Khattak dance is an agile martial variation of the traditional Attan dance of the Pashtuns, and is named after the Khattak tribe. The dancers swirl their heads and move while carrying one or more swords and sometimes a handkerchief. Warriors of the Khattak tribe performed this dance before going to war. It has a five step routine, and the drummer usually changes the rhythm to match the technique of the performer.
Attan is likely a variation of the Greek Athena dance that might have become popular among the Pashtuns when the Greeks colonized their lands.