((Celacanto ))

((( Hamid Karzai's famous hat made from aborted lamb fetuses )))

esta, do Ananova, prefiro deixar no original...

The hat made famous by Afghan leader Hamid Karzai is made using the downy fur of aborted lamb fetuses.

Karzai says he wears the karacul hats because they are "very, very Afghan" and they look good.

Shepherds in northern Afghanistan slaughter the mother and then remove the fetus.

The downy fur is incredibly smooth because it has never been exposed to the air or sun. Sometimes shepherds wait for the ewe to give birth before killing the lamb.

Each lamb is so small its entire pelt is needed to produce one hat - and many pelts are needed to make the waist-length karacul coats.

Mr Karzai has helped bring the hats back into fashion in Afghanistan.

"Since the change in government, many people are coming and buying karacul hats," said Kabul karacul shop owner Aji Ali Mohammed. "Business is getting better every day."

And the hats are also going down a storm in the fashion world, with Gucci's Tom Ford calling Karzai "the chicest man on the planet" with a winning look that is "very elegant and very proud".

Afghanistan's Culture and Information Minister Abdurahim Mokhdoom says he recognises the process may seem brutal to outsiders, but he says they are part of Afghanistan's culture.

"As far back as you look, Afghans have been wearing them," he said, adding a word of advice for the squeamish. "I would tell them to stop eating beef and lamb and then let's stop killing animals for this too," he said.