Hand tufted Afgan war memorabilia rug 2011

The war rug tradition of Afghanistan has its origins in the decade of Soviet occupation that began in 1979 and has continued through the subsequent military, political and social conflicts. Afghan rug-makers began incorporating the apparatus of war into their designs almost immediately after the Soviet Union invaded their country. The terms Baluch and war rug are generalizations given to the genre by rug dealers, commercial galleries, collectors, critics, and commentators. The distinctive characteristic of these rugs is their capacity to convey their makers’ experiences and interpretations of the circumstances and politics of war and conflict in the region. Many of the themes present on rugs made during the Afghan conflict with the former USSR have been reused and remade, but with specific text and imagery customized for other invading and occupying forces, and those made in reaction to the presence of American military forces remain the most collectible. The era between 2002 and 2011 are generally the most highly sought and the examples herein are known as Exodus rugs....more

Heidi Reilly

United Kingdom

(33)