Gold crown from Afghanistan

Make this paper crown inspired by an ancient gold crown from Afghanistan.

The real crown was found in the tomb of a nomadic woman from the 1st century AD. It is made of different pieces so that it could be folded away when its owner was travelling. In 1989, staff at the National Museum of Afghanistan hid the crown so that it did not get destroyed during many years of war.

You can make this crown using beads or try another version using paper.

How to make

1. Take a pipe cleaner and slide a yellow bead to the middle. Follow this with 4 gold beads.

2. Do this 4 times in total, ending the final one with a yellow bead.

3. Slide a pipe cleaner through the yellow bead in the centre until you reach the middle of the pipe cleaner.

4. Take one end of the pipe cleaner running through the yellow bead, and add 4 crystal beads, 1 yellow bead and 4 more crystal beads.

5. Bend this pipe cleaner and slide it though the next yellow bead on your headband. You should do this eight times in total.

6. Wrap the ends of your pipe cleaner around the headband.

7. Take another pipe cleaner, sliding 5 crystal, 1 yellow, 5 more crystal beads to the middle. Push the pipe cleaner through the yellow beads in the middle of the second row.

8. Repeat this for the rest of the row. If for the next two you use 4 crystal beads instead of 5 this will give you a peak in the middle.

9. Depending how wide your beads are you can push the spare bits of pipe cleaner through the beads and wrap it around the first pipe cleaner. Our beads were a bit narrow so we wrapped it around the yellow beads at the end of the second row and cut the spare bits off. You may need an adult to help you with that bit.

10. Take a pipe cleaner and twist it to the pipe cleaner which forms the base of your crown. You can adjust this so it fits the size of your head, so you get the perfect fit.

11. Enjoy being regal in your very own crown!

 Made your own crown?
Send us photos of your work