April 29, 2022 — Talk about the art of fine carpet! It was a lovely home day made even lovelier by a stunning Afghan rug arriving in the mail today from my son, Sawyer, in Bahrain. I’ve never seen a folded rug, only rolled, so I was amazed that this huge rug was in this fairly small cardboard box. I thought maybe it was really thin? But, no, it’s a thick wool Afghan carpet, as I said, the art of fine carpet. And it unfolded like the luxurious textile that it is, completely relaxing instantly. It’s huge, around 8’ x 11’, a classic burgundy with blues and greens. I’m awestruck! I’ve always dreamed of having some beautiful wool carpets from this part of the world and it has manifested. Manifestatum est, lol. With two more coming. Where did I go right with this kid?!  

here it is, right out of the box…

Artful Gents, all yours:

The Afghan carpets were sourced from over 650 Kahl Mohammadi and Akhche Afghan carpets from Nain Trading in Hamburg. Many Afghan rugs are attractive for their simplicity, but the Mehraban Rugs Nazmiyal Collection and Keivan Woven Arts have created famous Afghan rugs worth seeing.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Afghan carpets usually refer to carpets that are traditionally made in Afghanistan itself. Afghan rugs or Afghan rugs are handmade rugs that are traditionally made in Afghanistan, however many are also woven by Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. Afghan tribal carpets, bags and jewelry are made by many distinct groups including Esari, Salor, Tekke and Yomut. Afghan carpets can generally be divided into two types: Turkmen carpets and Balochi carpets, which resemble the weaves of Central Asian tribes in color, pattern, and texture when compared to Persian Baloch carpets.    ^{Show Source Texts}

One of the most exotic and characteristic of all oriental carpets is shindand or adraskan (after the name of local Afghan cities), woven in the province of Herat in western Afghanistan. Although this type of carpet is woven in the classic Persian style, it is the subject matter of the Afghan war carpet, which is what makes it so attractive. The Afghan carpet style originated from the forcible occupation of Afghanistan itself by the Soviet Union and is known as war carpet or Afghan war carpet. Afghan carpet (or Afghan carpet [1]) is a hand-knotted flooring fabric traditionally produced in the northern and western regions of Afghanistan [2] [3] mainly by Afghan and Uzbek Turkmens.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Afghan rugs made in Afghanistan are completely unmistakable and have won a devoted following, being unique among vintage rugs. The rich colors and bold cultural design of vintage Afghan rugs make them eye-catching pieces that complement a variety of interior styles. Afghan rugs reflect a heritage of handcrafted craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation.    ^{Show Source Texts}

For example, Afghan carpets are recognized worldwide for their natural beauty and excellent workmanship. The two most popular rugs from Afghanistan are Khal Mohammadi and Afghan Akche. Akche Afghan carpets are handmade by Turkmens in central and northern Afghanistan. The rugs are made from Persian knots and are characterized by hand-spun Afghan wool dyed with vegetable dyes.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Therefore, they are considered a very important aspect of the culture of most Afghan weavers. The result is mainly due to two factors in Afghanistan, one is the impact of wars on resources and constant trade, and the other is their “tradition” of weaving wool on wool carpets (versus wool cloth made of cotton). Between 1979 and 1992, at least one million Afghans, including hundreds of thousands of carpet weavers, fled Afghanistan proper during the war with the Soviet Union and subsequent civil war, settling mainly in Pakistan and Iran.    ^{Show Source Texts}

Cited Sources

• https://www.carpet-wiki.com/afghan/ ⁰
• https://khyberpasstreasures.com/product-category/rugs/afghan/ ¹
• https://www.finerugcollection.com/pages/what-is-an-afghan-rug ²
• https://www.1stdibs.com/buy/afghan-carpets/ ³
• https://www.carpetencyclopedia.com/styles-origin/afghani-carpets ⁴
• https://www.alesouk.com/product-category/oriental-rugs/afghan-rugs-and-carpets/ ⁵
• https://www.bashircarpets.com/en/afghan-rugs ⁶
• https://nazmiyalantiquerugs.com/antique-rugs/afghanistan/afghan-rugs/ ⁷
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_rug ⁸
• https://rugchick.com/afghan-rugs-the-trade-off-for-new-tribal-rugs/ ⁹