An Afghan rug (or Afghan carpet) is a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally made in the northern and western areas of Afghanistan,[1] [2] mainly by Afghan Turkmens and Uzbeks.[3] The industry is being expanded to all 34 provinces of Afghanistan.
Afghan rugs have won a number of international awards. The most notable Afghan rugs market in Afghanistan is in the affluent Shahr-e Naw area of Kabul.[4] The cities of Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta in Pakistan as well as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are also notable for Afghan rugs markets.
Weaving rugs in Afghanistan is an ancient tradition and business, which probably existed for thousands of years.
In 2008, 2013, and 2014 Afghan rugs won international awards at an international exhibition held every year in Hamburg, Germany.[5] [6]
Around 1.2 million people are involved in the rug business in Afghanistan.[7] Others have put the number at around 2 million people.[8]
Afghanistan exported over 800,000 square meters of Afghan rug in 2021, which generated about $30 million dollars.[9] [10] Over $7 million worth of Afghan rugs have been exported in 2022 to Turkey, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, and Uzbekistan.[11]
Some Afghan rugs are woven by the Afghan diaspora in Iran and Pakistan.[12] [13] [14] [15] And some Afghan rugs have been sent to Pakistan, where they are given the label "Made in Pakistan" and then exported to other countries.[16] [17]
The Soviet invasion and subsequent wars affected production, both in terms of scale and down quality.[18] [19] [20] According to official figures, as reflected by Parsons, more than 17,000 m2 were exported to Afghanistan in 1979, meaning between 8,000 and 9,000 carpets and rugs. In 1983 exports declined to about 13,000 m2, by 1988 less than 15,000 remained to be returned. In the 1980s, the company sold a lot of old carpets, rugs, and rugs to Afghan families, meaning it was mostly bought by non-residents.[21] [22]
One of the most exotic and distinctive of all oriental rugs is the Shindand or Adraskan (named after local Afghan towns), woven in the Herat Province, in western Afghanistan. Strangely elongated human and animal figures are their signature look. The carpet can be sold across Afghanistan with the most based in Mazar-e Sharif.
Another staple of Afghanistan is Baluchi rugs, most notably Baluchi prayer rugs. They are made by Afghanistan's ethnic Baloch people in the south-western part of the country.[23]
Various vegetable and other natural dyes are used to produce the rich colors. The rugs are mostly of medium sizes. Many patterns and colors are used, but the traditional and most typical is that of the octagonal elephant's foot (Bukhara) print, often with a red background. The weavers also produce other trappings of the nomadic lifestyle, including tent bags and ceremonial pieces.
Ahcha carpets are woven by the Erazi people in 2 provinces: Samangan and Kunduz.[24] All of these rugs use scribble wool, which is dyed in shades of red, brown, indigo, and black. Usually Ahcha carpets are red, sometimes at the special request of customers are made in other tones, so for example, the central field is made in a color range from light brown to golden yellow shades or also with a dark blue central field and light yellow patterns. Some modern rugs use green for pattern details. In addition to Ahcha rugs, various Bezeheri patterns are also woven in Kunduz (the eastern carpet-producing province of Afghanistan). These common motifs include rows of stylized flowers or flower-shaped hexagons on a central field that run together in the center and are framed by decorated crochet and ram's horn patterns. The center field is usually light red, the pattern is dark red and orange with blue, green, white or black color borders (edging) to better highlight details.[25] [26]