Traditional units of measurement in Afghanistan & Central Asia
Middle East & North Africa · 9 documented units · reviewed 2026-07-31
Quick answer
Afghan land records use jerib (2,000 m² by the Kabul standard) and biswa; weight runs on kharwar, seer and charak, all regionally variable.
How measurement works in Afghanistan & Central Asia
The Afghan jerib is conventionally 2,000 m² in Kabul practice, but provincial usage varies and the same word denotes different areas in Iran and historically in Ottoman territory.
Weight units descend from the Persian system, with the Kabuli seer of about 7 kg and the kharwar (literally "donkey load") used for bulk grain and firewood.
Land documents from the pre-1978 cadastre and post-2001 registrations may express the same parcel differently; NGOs and surveyors routinely re-measure rather than convert.
area units of Afghanistan & Central Asia
| Unit | Value in SI | Typical use | Convert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerib | 1 Jerib = 2,000 square metre | agriculture | Jerib → square metresIn-depth guide |
| Tanab | 1 Tanab = 2,000 square metre | agriculture | Tanab → square metres |
mass units of Afghanistan & Central Asia
| Unit | Value in SI | Typical use | Convert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Batman | 1 Batman = 7.5 kilogram | trade | Batman → kilograms |
| Miskal/Mithqal | 1 Miskal/Mithqal = 0.00469 kilogram | jewellery, precious-metals | Miskal/Mithqal → kilograms |
| Charak | 1 Charak = 1.875 kilogram | trade | Charak → kilograms |
| Khalvar | 1 Khalvar = 350 kilogram | trade, agriculture | Khalvar → kilograms |
| Nakhud | 1 Nakhud = 0.00019 kilogram | jewellery | Nakhud → kilograms |
| Tanka | 1 Tanka = 0.0108 kilogram | precious-metals, trade | Tanka → kilograms |
length units of Afghanistan & Central Asia
| Unit | Value in SI | Typical use | Convert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaz (Persian) | 1 Gaz (Persian) = 1.04 metre | textiles | Gaz (Persian) → metres |
Units that vary within Afghanistan & Central Asia
- Batman — reported range: 3–130 kg
- Gaz (Persian) — value depends on locality
Before you convert
- Jerib is not portable between Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey — three different areas.
- Kabuli seer (~7 kg) is unrelated to the Indian seer (~0.933 kg) despite the shared name.
Sources
- Afghanistan Land Authority (ARAZI) — cadastral practice notes
See our methodology and data provenance pages, or review published corrections.