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Russian Spinning Russia was a main grower and producer of flax, not just for Asia, but for Europe.[1] Russia primarily used a supported spindle, which is really nice for short staple fibers.[2] A Russian supported spindle. It’s made of purple heartwood. I really want one (It’s purple and spinning!)[3] References [1] “Introduction: The Culture of Cloth,” The Museum of Russian Art, accessed June 14, 2025, https://tmora.org/online-exhibitions/a-homespun-life-textiles-of-old-russia/introduction-the-culture-of-cloth/. [2] Cecile, “The Spindle Tales: Russian Spindles,” The ways of the whorl, December 12, 2010, https://waysofthewhorl.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/the-spindle-tales-russian-spindles/. [3] Cecile. “The Spindle Tales: Russian Spindles.” The ways of the whorl, December 12, 2010. https://waysofthewhorl.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/the-spindle-tales-russian-spindles/.

Charkha – Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Malaysia India The wheel they use in India is called a chakra or charkhra depending on how it’s translated, though the word translates to English as “wheel” so it’s actually not super helpful in looking at things translated from Hindi. There are two main types, a standing and a peti, box, or “book” form.[1] The standing form is the older of the two being written about as early as the 13th century, and it is difficult to tell how much older as not many people wrote about the joys of spinning in their books until later, but it’s been a hot minute. A picture of a full sized standing charkhra. The one on display is a miniature version of this. Most are about 18-24 inches tall, and about 36 inches long.[2] Bangladesh In Bangladesh, spinners would use charkhas to spin the cotton while on boats trying to get the humidity correct for the tiny Dhaka cotton fibers, then sell the teeny threads to the weavers in the next town.[3] A Bangladeshi woman spinning cotton[4] I love the way her spinning wheel looks. I think it looks like a flower. Bhutan In Bhutan, spinning wheels are called haphang.[5] Bhutanese woman spinning in a market[6] Chinese China had hand cranked spinning wheels in the Han Dynasty (206BCE–220CE)[7] , which sounds early to me, but whatever. An Quinlong painting of a woman spinning, not at a large industry style wheel, but a smaller floor wheel. This is more like an Indian style, and would have presumably been found at most houses. [8] Malaysia Malaysia doesn’t have a lot of information on their spinning techniques, but it looks like they used a chakra style wheel. Malaysian “girl” spinning. I don’t know, spinning doesn’t seem to have an age limit.[9] References [1] Nakonechny, Joanne. “First Steps in Charkha Spinning.” Spin Off, July 4, 2022. https://spinoffmagazine.com/first-steps-in-charkha-spinning/ . [2] Dinodia Photos. “Mahatma Gandhi Charkha Spinning Wheel India Stock Photo.” Alamy. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mahatma-gandhi-charkha-spinning-wheel-india-43150626.html . [3] Gopika Nath, “Garland Magazine,” Garland Magazine Spinning a Yarn Unparalleled Comments, December 6, 2016, https://garlandmag.com/article/spinning-a-yarn-unparalleled/. [4] Rudolph Ackermann, Bengali Woman Spinning Using a Simple Spinning Wheel, 1821, photograph, 1821. [5] Thagzo: The Art of Weaving.” Ich Links. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?elementsUid=13916806808844150811. [6] Travelib Bhutan, Bhutan, Nobding Bazaar, Woman Spinning Cotton Thread by Hand on Wheel, July 22, 2012, photograph, July 22, 2012. [7] Ibid. [8] Chien Lung, “A Chinese Woman Spinning,” Guache on Paper, 1736, Meisterdrucke. [9] Sarawak: A native girl weaving cotton on a loom. photograph., accessed June 24, 2025, https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24882598.

Uzbekistan Spinning The society of Uzbekistan in the pre 10th century was very divided, with part being agricultural and part being nomadic.[1] The nomads would use a lot of wool and cashmere, as that’s what was available and spin on spindles as they didn't have much space.[1] The agricultural people would also grow cotton and silkworms (sericulture) and spin on hand cranked wheels.[1] Women Spinning or “twisting” at their wheels.[2] I love it. (The photo is titled “Ancient Technology of Twisting” and it makes me giggle) It looks like the distance between drum and spindle is really hecking small on this one! Anyway, this is a Uzbekistani woman spinning cotton.[3] References [1] Binafsha Nodir, “Historical Overview of Weaving in Uzbekistan ,” World Bulletin of Social Science 22 (May 24, 2023): 143–54. https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbss/article/view/2765/2373 https://scholarexpress.net/index.php/wbss/article/view/2765/2373 [2] Turgunboy Mirzaakhmedov, Ancient Technology of Twisting, 2017, photograph, Photo Pop up - UNESCO, 2017, https://ich.unesco.org/en/photo-pop-up-00973?photoID=10809 . [3] David Trilling, “Before Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry Exploded, a Russian General Made These Pictures,” Eurasianet, April 26, 2019, https://eurasianet.org/before-uzbekistans-cotton-industry-exploded-a-russian-general-made-these-pictures.

North Korean Spinning Silk made it to Korea in the 1200BC with Chinese settlers.[1] Korea was using silk to embroider things such as clothing and palace decorations that resembled spun silver in the Three Kingdoms era[2] A mool lae. This one is missing a spindle and drive band, but looks like it could easily be fixed.[3] References [1] Tasdeeq Ul Islam, “The Historical Journey of Sericulture: Insights into Sustainability from Past to Present,” International Journal of Emerging Knowledge Studies 03, no. 09 (September 30, 2024): 719–26, https://doi.org/10.70333/ijeks-03-09-042. [2] “Korean Embroidery,” Wikipedia, March 5, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_embroidery. [3] “Very Rare Korean Joseon Dynasty Wood Spinning Wheel ‘Mool Lae,’” eBay, accessed February 6, 2025, https://www.ebay.com/itm/151740507461.

Drop Spindle Spinning – Afghanistan, Bhutan, Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, Uzbekistan Afghanistan Afghani cotton spinning is done on a drop spindle.[1] Wool is also spun on a drop spindle, and is usually done thick.[2] The woman in the middle is spinning! And it does look like drop spinning! So weird![3] One thing noted about her "spindle" is that it seems to be all whorl. I'm not sure how common this type of "spindle" is, but I really want to try it out! Bhutan In Bhutanese culture, drop spindles are called phang.[4] Wools are typically made from yak, sheep, and goat.[5] They are spun on both drop spindles and on wheels.[6] I love her spindle. I want to look at it closer![7] Cyprus Excavations have been done in Cyprus, and they have found that spindles were two-piece constructions, with stone or terracotta for the whorl and wood for the spindle.[8] Clay spindle whorl from Cyprus.[9] Kazakhstan Most of Kazakhstan was a nomadic society. Thus they would have used spindles to do their work. Also, they probably worked mostly with animal fibers. A spindle typical of one found in Kazakstan[10] Kyrgyzstan The nomads of Kyrgyzstan mostly spun with spindles. Even when the Kyrgyzstani people settled down so they were mostly living in cities, they continued to spin with spindles.[11] These spindles were top whorl. Which indicates that they may have been used for drop spinning, not supported spinning. The article mentions rocks being formed to make spindles, then parts of power lines. This whorl looks like it could be from a power line…[12] Mongolia No evidence of wheels used in Mongolia in medieval times found, which makes a certain amount of sense given they were a nomadic culture and moving around with something as large as a wheel (even one that is typical of Asia at the time) could have been problematic From looking at pictures of historical reenactments, they appear to have used bottom whorl drop spindles. But these are reenactments. I’m not finding primary sources, or even secondary.[13] Hohhot reenactor spinning. I’m dubious, as that spindle looks more European than anything else I’ve seen doing this research, but I’m good at being wrong.[14] Nepal In Nepal, depending on material, the spindle spinning could be done as drop or in hand. Animal fibers were mostly done drop, while plant fibers were mostly done in hand. While this did vary from region to region, this seems to have been fairly consistent across Nepal.[15] Thailand, Whorls for cotton thread have been found in excavation sites in Sukhothai.[16] But I’m not sure what these would have looked like. My guess would have been a takli, especially with all the other Indian influences they have had, but I wouldn’t consider the takli a two piece spindle. Uzbekistan Uzbekistan had a lot of nomads who would spin on drop spindles. References [1] “Spinning a Lucrative Yarn in Afghanistan,” ReliefWeb, October 3, 2012, https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/spinning-lucrative-yarn-afghanistan. [2] “Spinning Wheels in Afghanistan: A Livelihoods Case Study,” studylib.net, accessed June 16, 2025, https://studylib.net/doc/10771146/spinning-wheels-in-afghanistan--case-studies---livelihoods . [3] Lillias Hamilton, Views in Afghanistan, October 9, 2014, photograph, Wikimedia Commons, October 9, 2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Afghanistan;_by_Lillias_Hamilton_Wellcome_L0025448.jpg. [4] Thagzo: The Art of Weaving.” Ich Links. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?elementsUid=13916806808844150811. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Dennis Kirkland, Asia, Bhutan, Bumthang. Woman Spinning Yarn, April 26, 2010, photograph, April 26, 2010. [8] Joanna S. Smith, “Changes in Weaving on the Warp-Weighted Loom on Cyprus,” Cahiers Du Centre d’Etudes Chypriotes, no. 49 (December 1, 2019): 129–44, https://doi.org/10.4000/cchyp.461. [9] Terracotta Spindle Whorls, Met Museum, accessed June 22, 2025, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/240498. [10] Linda LaBelle, “Kazakhstan,” Madderlane, August 29, 2019, https://madderlane.com/category/kazakhstan/. [11] Rahat Yusubalieva, “Grandmother’s Spindle (Kyrgyzstan),” cabinet, accessed June 23, 2025, https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/grandmothers-spindle-kyrgyzstan. [12] Ibid. [13] Xinhua, “Hohhot, China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 15th Aug, 2018. an Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor Demonstrates the Spinning Skill of Mongolian Ethnic Group during an Exhibition in Hohhot, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Aug. 15, 2018. Credit: Liu Lei/Xinhua/Alamy Live News Stock Photo,” Alamy, August 14, 2018, https://www.alamy.com/hohhot-chinas-inner-mongolia-autonomous-region-15th-aug-2018-an-intangible-cultural-heritage-inheritor-demonstrates-the-spinning-skill-of-mongolian-ethnic-group-during-an-exhibition-in-hohhot-north-chinas-inner-mongolia-autonomous-region-aug-15-2018-credit-liu-leixinhuaalamy-live-news-image215507083.html. [14] Ibid. [15] Josefin Waltin, “Spinning in Nepal,” Josefin Waltin spinner, January 17, 2018, https://waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/spinning-in-nepal/. [16] Jackson, “Thai Traditional Fabrics: 3,000 Years in 15 Minutes,” My Thailand , May 20, 2019, https://www.mythailand.blog/2019/01/14/thai-traditional-fabrics/amp/ .

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Rahim, Wafi. “The Production of Kain Tenunan Brunei.” The Symposium on Cultural Identity, June 2015. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325987048_The_Production_of_Kain_Tenunan_Brunei. “Reddit - Dive into Anything.” 2018. Reddit.com. 2018. https://www.reddit.com/r/sca/comments/8z3src/japanese_drop_spindles_or_spinning_techniques/?rdt=52091 . Rohan. “What Is Japanese Cotton Fabric.” Knowing Fabric, September 4, 2023. https://knowingfabric.com/what-is-japanese-cotton-fabric/. Ross, Josh Philip. “Seoul Subway Randomizer Adventure #3: Mullae Station.” Medium, March 27, 2017. https://joshphilipross.medium.com/seoul-subway-randomizer-adventure-3-mullae-station-d34eea98177d. Rottom, Boaz. “Old and Weathered Bedouin Woman Spinning Wool for Weaving in Little Petra, Jordan Stock Photo.” Alamy, March 30, 2017. https://www.alamy.com/old-and-weathered-bedouin-woman-spinning-wool-for-weaving-in-little-petra-jordan-image244347717.html?imageid=6FDBD107-BFE1-4A59-8308-F93367C78A85&p=149338&pn=1&searchId=4902e9337ab5bc6e113247242c85e0cd&searchtype=0. Ryukyu Heritage Textiles. “Handspinning.” Scharine Kirchoff, Fiber Artist, September 28, 2018. https://ryukyuheritagetextiles.com/portfolio/handweaving-under-construction/. Sarawak: A native girl weaving cotton on a loom. photograph. Accessed June 24, 2025. https://www.jstor.org/stable/community.24882598. “Sericulture.” Wikimedia Commons, 2025. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?search=sericulture&title=Special%3AMediaSearch&type=image. Sia-Ed, Arel B. “Inventory and Resource Mapping of Fiber Yielding Plants in Mountain Province .” www.ijsmsjournal.org , 2019. https://www.ijsmsjournal.org/2019/volume-2%20issue-1/ijsms-v2i1p101.pdf. Schroer, Andrea. “Tahkli Spindle Spinning How To.” Mielke’s Fiber Arts, January 4, 2018. https://www.mielkesfiberarts.com/tahkli-spinning-how-to/ . Smith, Joanna S. “Changes in Weaving on the Warp-Weighted Loom on Cyprus.” Cahiers du Centre d’Etudes Chypriotes, no. 49 (December 1, 2019): 129–44. https://doi.org/10.4000/cchyp.461. “Spinning a Lucrative Yarn in Afghanistan.” ReliefWeb, October 3, 2012. https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/spinning-lucrative-yarn-afghanistan. “Spinning Wheels in Afghanistan: A Livelihoods Case Study.” studylib.net. Accessed June 16, 2025. https://studylib.net/doc/10771146/spinning-wheels-in-afghanistan--case-studies---livelihoods . Stewart, Cosima. “The History of Weaving in the Caucasus.” Cabana Magazine, December 21, 2024. https://cabanamagazine.com/blogs/atlas-of-craftsmanship/the-history-of-weaving-in-the-caucasus . Tammachat. Using a traditional Lao spinning wheel. September 24, 2009. Photograph. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/9255099@N08/3950237653. Terracotta spindle whorls. Met Museum. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/240498. Tewell, John. “Woman Spinning Thread, Vintar, Ilocos Norte, Northwest Luzon, Philippines, 1920-1925.” Flickr, 1920. https://www.flickr.com/photos/johntewell/49572157051/in/photolist-2iBUxef-2iwwgdX-2dYeSvi-QKRvWU-Q6xniD-cqH8cj-7M28W7-7LXapi-aKUKJZ-2prdpZ7. “Textile Guide: Lao Weaves.” House of Wandering Silk, August 1, 2016. https://www.wanderingsilk.org/post/2016/08/01/textiles-360-lao-weaves. “Thai Spinning Wheel 19th C.,” Original catalog card describes this as a spinning wheel. Part of an acquisition in 1905 by the US National Museum, from the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904, of Thai (Siamese) textile-working tools and equipment from the Royal Siamese Commission., n.d., National Museum of History , Bering Center. “Thagzo: The Art of Weaving.” Ich Links. Accessed June 22, 2025. https://ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?elementsUid=13916806808844150811. “The Very First Spinning Wheels?” New Zealand Spinning Wheels and their makers, May 18, 2017. https://nzspinningwheels.wordpress.com/the-very-first-spinning-wheels. Trilling, David. “Before Uzbekistan’s Cotton Industry Exploded, a Russian General Made These Pictures.” Eurasianet, April 26, 2019. https://eurasianet.org/before-uzbekistans-cotton-industry-exploded-a-russian-general-made-these-pictures . Turfantastik. “Traditional Textile Weaving in Iran Editorial Photo - Image of Persia, Craft: 174450836.” Dreamstime, April 8, 2018. https://www.dreamstime.com/iranian-woman-weaving-fabric-traditional-way-meybod-iran-traditional-textile-weaving-iran-image174450836. “Turkmens.” Wikipedia, June 14, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmens. “Very Rare Korean Joseon Dynasty Wood Spinning Wheel ‘Mool Lae.’” eBay. Accessed February 6, 2025. https://www.ebay.com/itm/151740507461. Wahsalfelah, Siti Norkhalbi Haji. “Brunei Culture through Its Textile Weaving Tradition.” SUVANNABHUMI 8, no. 2 (December 2016): 113–29. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://koreascience.kr/article/JAKO201612359886243.pdf. Waltin, Josefin. “Spinning in Nepal.” Josefin Waltin spinner, January 17, 2018. https://waltin.se/josefinwaltinspinner/spinning-in-nepal/ . “Weaving of Laos.” Global InCH. Accessed June 15, 2025. https://globalinch.org/craft/textiles-of-laos/. YouTube. (2022, February 14). The Legend of Silk in Ancient China - What is Silk?. YouTube. https://www.youtube .com/watch?v=RTTQXOnINmU Yusubalieva, Rahat. “Grandmother’s Spindle (Kyrgyzstan).” cabinet. Accessed June 23, 2025. https://www.cabinet.ox.ac.uk/grandmothers-spindle-kyrgyzstan. Xinhua. “Hohhot, China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. 15th Aug, 2018. an Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritor Demonstrates the Spinning Skill of Mongolian Ethnic Group during an Exhibition in Hohhot, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Aug. 15, 2018. Credit: Liu Lei/Xinhua/Alamy Live News Stock Photo.” Alamy, August 14, 2018. https://www.alamy.com/hohhot-chinas-inner-mongolia-autonomous-region-15th-aug-2018-an-intangible-cultural-heritage-inheritor-demonstrates-the-spinning-skill-of-mongolian-ethnic-group-during-an-exhibition-in-hohhot-north-chinas-inner-mongolia-autonomous-region-aug-15-2018-credit-liu-leixinhuaalamy-live-news-image215507083.html. Zurndorfer, Harriet. “The Resistant Fibre: The Pre-Modern History of Cotton in China.” Academia.edu, June 8, 2016. https://www.academia.edu/25993017/The_Resistant_Fibre_The_Pre_modern_History_of_Cotton_in_China.

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Maldives Spinning I'm finding nothing except this one set of photos on Facebook[1] These look like something that would come from the region. But beyond that I'm clueless![2] References [1] #DhivehiArchives A Lacquered Spinning Wheel Made of Wood, Acquired from Maldives in 1893  📷 the British Museum, December 13, 2021, photograph, Facebook , December 13, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4789751341085457. [2] #DhivehiArchives A Lacquered Spinning Wheel Made of Wood, Acquired from Maldives in 1893  📷 the British Museum, December 13, 2021, photograph, Facebook , December 13, 2021, https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4789751341085457.

Chinese Spinning 手纺 is the hanzi for spinning, and the search parameters usually have to say “-baoding.” China is known for spinning silk, but did you know that there was an “industrial style wheel” as early as 400 CE. However, that source isn’t exactly an original, so the treadle thing could be from as early as 400 CE to as late as 1000 CE. It was popularized in pre-13th century by Haung Tao-Pho, who brought the cotton industry and the treadle spinning wheel to many parts of China around the years 1295-1296. The treadle wheel allows a skilled spinner to spin 2,3, 4, or even 5 threads at one time! Okay, that’s… not entirely true. It is unclear if the primary purpose of the wheel was to spin or ply. It does both, but the intended and original purpose is unclear. These wheels are used with silk, cotton, and a bast fiber common in Asia called “ramie” (ramie is often mistranslated as linen, but was and is hugely popular in places like Japan and India, as well as China). This is done by having all the movement of the wheel be focused in the feet (unlike other Asian wheels, which are hand cranked). The foot motion is that of an oar or a bicycle, rather than the European treadle of pressing a pedal up and down. The dominant hand (for this wheel IS ambidextrous) would draft the prepared fibers, held in multiple bundles, which the non-dominant guided the threads to the wheel using a stick as a tensioning agent. While I am interested in this stick, I think it was just a simple dowel rod, no notches or anything carved, but I am still unsure. So much of this wheel comes down to how the fibers are prepped. If you have a big bar thing helping with fiber preparation (it’s in some of the drawings), it’s part of the silk processing process. This was NOT COMMON in the early years. Well, why not? The quality wasn’t as consistent and the preferred method was the single thread doubling done on the hand cranked wheel. The other fiber this wheel is really good at is the ramie, the bast fiber. Those fibers and long and needed twisting more than spinning, and would have come pre-spliced and often on little balls that sat in front of the wheel. Cotton had to first be made into roving, and is a much shorter draw, making continuous spinning more difficult (though not impossible). A replica of a Chinese wheel, as used by its creator. D iagram showing a period Chinese woman plying 2 threads at once (so 4 threads go down to 2), with notations to guide the reader in the article On the mathematics of spinning, which I did not understand. Also shown more modern Chinese woman spinning 2 threads at once using the same type of wheel. It shows how the wheel is perpendicular to the user. Chinese woman spining on small table wheel. This style of wheel was more the "domestic style" wheel that was used in non industrial settings. We have evidence of this wheel being found as early as 200 BCE in "certain regions" of China (I'm afraid that I do not know what regions those are). References Lung, Chien. “A Chinese Woman Spinning.” Guache on Paper, 1736. Meisterdrucke. Li, S.-W., Shi, K., Wang, M.-J., and Yao, Y.-A.: Structural analysis of ancient Chinese textile mechanisms, Mech. Sci., 13, 625–634, https://doi.org/10.5194/ms-13-625-2022 , 2022. “The Very First Spinning Wheels?” New Zealand Spinning Wheels and their makers, May 18, 2017. https://nzspinningwheels.wordpress.com/the-very-first-spinning-wheels.

Thailand Spinning According to Wikipedia (not a great source, but it’s where I start), not much is known about Thailand before the 13th century. [1] I'm wondering if that's why I'm not finding anything. So this spinning wheel was gifted to the US National Museum during the STL world fair in 1904.[2] It looks like an Indian wheel that's lost several strings to me! It also looks like it lost its spindle. Whorls for cotton thread have been found in excavation sites in Sukhothai.[3] But I’m not sure what these would have looked like. My guess would have been a takli, especially with all the other Indian influences they have had, but I wouldn’t consider the takli a two piece spindle. Found that they used hemp as a major fiber type.[3] The hemp is treated very similarly to flax, where it's dried and retted, then the fibers are spun. That's been spun in Thailand since 3,000 BCE.[3] The silk has been dated to 1,000-300 BCE.[3] How did it get there? Not sure. It's very similar to Chinese silk. One theory is that they had their own silk worms to play with, but Northern Thailand definitely had silk in the first century BCE. Cotton was imported from India as early as 100 CE.[3] With the date of these imports, it's likely that cotton was also grown, just in small amounts. By the 12th century cotton was a cash crop. References [1] “History of Thailand.” Wikipedia, June 7, 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Thailand . [2] “Thai Spinning Wheel 19th C.,” Original catalog card describes this as a spinning wheel. Part of an acquisition in 1905 by the US National Museum, from the St. Louis World’s Fair of 1904, of Thai (Siamese) textile-working tools and equipment from the Royal Siamese Commission., n.d., National Museum of History , Bering Center. [3] Jackson, “Thai Traditional Fabrics: 3,000 Years in 15 Minutes,” My Thailand , May 20, 2019, https://www.mythailand.blog/2019/01/14/thai-traditional-fabrics/amp/ .

Afghani Spinning Spinning cotton is done on a drop spindle.[1] Cotton has been grown in Afghanistan since the 3rd millennium BCE.[2] Wool is also spun on a drop spindle, and is usually done thick.[3] Afghanistan was known for having a soft cashmere, even if it wasn't produced as much as it could have been (there was no infrastructure to process the fiber, so it was all done small scale by hand)[4] The woman in the middle is spinning! And it does look like drop spinning! So weird![5] A woman spinning what appears to be cotton on a floor hand cranked wheel[6] References [1] “Spinning a Lucrative Yarn in Afghanistan,” ReliefWeb, October 3, 2012, https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/spinning-lucrative-yarn-afghanistan. [2] Daniel Balland, “Cotton III. in Afghanistan,” Encyclopaedia Iranica, October 21, 2024, https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/cotton-iii/. [3] “Spinning Wheels in Afghanistan: A Livelihoods Case Study,” studylib.net, accessed June 16, 2025, https://studylib.net/doc/10771146/spinning-wheels-in-afghanistan--case-studies---livelihoods . [4] “Cashmere in Afghanistan,” From The Mountain, accessed June 16, 2025, https://www.fromthemountain.com/cashmere-in-afghanistan#:~:text=As%20a%20result%20of%20ASAP,of%20this%20globally%20beneficial%20enterprise. [5] Lillias Hamilton, Views in Afghanistan, October 9, 2014, photograph, Wikimedia Commons, October 9, 2014, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Views_in_Afghanistan;_by_Lillias_Hamilton_Wellcome_L0025448.jpg. [6] R.B. Holmes, Pathan Woman Spinning, North-West Frontier , January 7, 2022, photograph, Facebook , January 7, 2022.