The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest, if not the first sighthound dog breed. Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan, where it was originally used to hunt hares, and gazelles by coursing them. Its local name is Sage Tāžī or Tāžī Spai. Other alternate names for this breed are Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound,Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound, or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.