Karakul sheep the terms for newborn lambs' and fetal lambs' pelts are used interchangeably. The newborn lambs have a tight, curly pattern of hair. The lambs must be under three days old when they are killed, or they will lose their black color and soft, tightly wound coils of fur. Dark colors are dominant and lambs often darken in color as they age. Fetal karakul lamb pelts are called broadtail, "Breitschwanz" (German), and "karakulcha". Fetal karakul lambs are harvested through miscarriages, induced early delivery or by killing the mother sheep and removing the fetus. Rather than killing healthy female sheep, farmers will
Karakul (hat) in Kashmir. In most religious shrines of Kashmir, the priests wear turbans. Some of the turbans have been of ordinary dyed muslin cloth mostly of saffron color with a dashing of green sometimes, where as some represent very exquisite and fashionable headgear. Most of the politicians in Kashmir have given up the use of a turban which used to be the symbol of dignity and honor, except for ceremonial use. The Karakul caps are popular amongst most of the mainstream politicians. It is quite common for a Kashmiri groom to remove the traditional turban and replace it with a Karakul