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Afghanistan’s War Rugs

While under the surgery in Italy, Zahir Shah, the former king of Afganistan, was overthrown in a “white coup” in 1973 by his cousin and brother-in-law and former Prime Minister, Mohammed Daoud Khan, who established a republic, with the support and assistance of minority political party People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Five years later the Saur Revolution occurred by the same party, paving the way for the Soviet’s Red Army. Since then, never-ending series of wars began in Afghanistan.
Mohammad Zahir Shah
Soon after the soviet occupation a type of rug design appeared amongst Afghan textiles in which various types of weaponries were depicted instead of traditional rug motifs. This is started by Baluchs of Herat, then followed by southern Pashtuns and Turkmens of the northern borderlines.
Map of Afghanistan, the Persian script saying: the soviet forces are getting out Afghanistan
The Baluch are used to depict regular life as well as kings, fairies and magical beasts of tales. And no wonder if they started to depict tanks, guns and aircrafts as well. Various sorts of depiction have taken place during decades of various wars. Some follow traditional planning, some others are picturesque, depicting a war scene. Some have a completely tribal stylization while there are some other with a neat artistic approach of an individual illustrator. The latter is the result of the popularity these rugs gained in western markets.
Ahmad Shah Massoud, the Afghanistani politician and military commander
Two woven portraits of Ghazi Amanullah Khan, former king of Afghanistan
These rugs have affinity with portraiture which is an ancient genre in Persian designs, practiced continuously from Caucus to central Asia. Portraits of war heroes, today, are woven alongside the ones of formers kings and dignitaries.
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