Loy Kandahar (, lit. "Great Kandahar") is a historical and cultural region of
Afghanistan, comprising the modern
Afghan provinces of
Kandahar,
Helmand,
Urozgan,
Farah,
Zabul and
Quetta. Loy Kandahar is vaguely defined by a common culture and history that is connected to the local indigenous tribes that reside in the region. Some people may refer to these areas as being under the "Kandahari cultural sphere of influence". Particular styles of clothing, articles of clothing, turban styles, turban cloth colors, dialects of
Pashto language, etc. may sometimes be associated with specific tribes indigenous to Loy Kandahar and thus integrate themselves into regional culture. For instance, a Pashtun tribesman from Loy Kandahar may quickly recognize a Pashtun from
Loya Paktia based upon his turban (or lungee) style and color. Likewise, a Pashtun from
Loya Paktia may recognize someone from Loy Kandahar based upon his unique style of collarless
kameez (shirt) with specific embroidered patterns on the front. There are many subtle and intricate cultural indicators of this type that are not recorded in any known written history but simply known and observed by the tribesmen of the various Pashtun regions of
Afghanistan and
Pakistan.