✍️ By: Hamia Naderi
In the third year of King Amanullah Khan’s reign, as the winds of modernization and freedom swept through Afghanistan, the idea of a dedicated women’s publication emerged. The young reformist king embraced the proposal, giving birth to “Ershad al-Neswan” (Guide for Women) — the first magazine for women in Afghanistan.
The first issue of this historic publication appeared on March 21, 1921, in Kabul, marking the moment Afghan women gained their first printed platform.
Published under the supervision of Queen Soraya, the magazine was managed by Asma Rasmiya (wife of Mahmud Tarzi) and edited by Ruh Afza (sister of Habibullah Khan Tarzi).
Issued weekly, the magazine featured articles on women’s freedom, education, biographies of prominent women worldwide, and sections on housekeeping, cooking, sewing, and child-rearing. Initially printed in four pages, later expanded to eight, it was produced at the lithographic Royal Press (Dar al-Tahrir Shahi) in Deh Afghanan, Kabul.
Although the publication schedule was irregular, Ershad al-Neswan became a milestone in the history of Afghan women’s press.
There are differing accounts of how long the first run lasted — some say six months, others until 1928/1929.
The magazine saw a revival during the Mujahideen government in 1993, led by poet Laila Sarahat Roshani, and again after the fall of the Taliban in 2002, when it re-emerged as the official publication of the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
Original issues are preserved in the National Archives of Afghanistan, and some are accessible online at the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University (ACKU).
