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3 feet 8 inches by 6 feet 4
I have been collecting war
rugs for years and rarely do I see anything really new and different.
This is a very special war rug. Please note the ewers and the table but
where the large bowl should be it has morphed into a tank. We also see
the flag on the tank which is new as is the distinctive anti-aircraft
guns. On the rear AA gun the scattered floral forms of the field become
the sights or else the weaver interpreted the sights as flowers.
Perhaps the most important new feature of this rug is the inclusion of
a Taliban rocket. This is a new and drastic departure from the past.
This is very much a rug of the civil war. What everything means I will
have to consider.
I have acquired two of these
and they are roughly the same. I consider them important enough that I
decided to collect one myself. I use the word Important with some
trepidation I will admit this is not the Pazaryk, or the lost borders
of the Ardabil. However to War Rug Collectors this is an Important rug
for three reasons:
- The weapons are an accurate depiction of what
was used in battle.
- It is a new different and attractive design.
- It may be the first Pro-Taliban rug that I have
seen.
How
We Select Our Rugs
Color is difficult over the
internet, please use the Direct Scan below for the best representation
of color in this rug.
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Afghan War Rug, Herat Area, Herat. 4th quarter
20th century. 3 feet 8 inches by 6 feet 4. (not including fringe).
Structure: Asymmetrical
knot open to the left. 7 knots per horizontal inch and 7
knots per vertical inch. 49 per square inch (760 per square decimeter)
Yarn Spin: Z.
Warp: Ivory wool.
Weft: Blue Cotton, 2 shots.
Pile: 2 Wool singles.
Ends: 1/2 inch plain weave.
Selvages: double wrapped in black goat.
Further Notes: New Condition.
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Direct Scan
Here we see a vase flanked by assault rifles set
between the opposing spouts of the traditional ewers. Directly above
that is a Taliban rocket. Taliban bombarded Kabul prior to the attack
on the capitol. When they finally massed for attack the Taliban leaders
stood down and Pakistani Army officers and Pakistani ISI agents took
command and control. Taliban was a creation of ISI but I suspect it is
now beyond Pakistan's control. They should have remembered the words of
the Prophet Mohammed, "He who rides the tiger, reaps the whirlwind".
Pakistan has only begun to reap the whirlwind called Taliban. When
Taliban controls Afghanistan it will turn to Pashtunistan.
N.B.
Looking at this one reminds me of my first assault rifle. I was 15 and
it was a 7mm FN FAL made in Belgium. Of all my rifles that was always
my favorite. I think for old times sake I will see if I can acquire
another one.
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I often get asked how I started collecting rugs. I
started with war rugs. Two of the constants in my life have been that
we always had Oriental rugs and I was always was fascinated by weapons.
Later on when I saw my first war rug I was fascinated because it was a
nice rug with interesting weaponry. During my political years I had
never had the chance to work with the Afghanistanis but through my work
to aid freedom fighters in other parts of the world I was well aware of
their fight.
To me War Rugs are not about the glorification of war or
weapons. It is about the indomitable sprit of men and women who love
freedom enough to fight for it. It is about those gallant people who do
not worry about the "Status Quo" and are not "smart" enough to do the
expedient thing. As I have said before:
Peace Without Freedom is Slavery.
For information on War Rugs please see:
Afghan War Rug Question
- RugNotes
Afghan
War Rugs: If it Walks Like a Duck... by J. Barry O'Connell,
Jr. (Oriental Rug Review, March, 1997)
Afghan
War Rugs: A Sub-group With Iranian Influence An Exhibition of a Variant
Type by Ron O'Callaghan, with thanks to J. Barry O'Connell,
Jr. Oriental Rug Review
For a discussion of Afghan Baluch and Baluch type see:
Parsons,
R. D. Oriental Rugs Volume 3 The Carpets of Afghanistan.
Woodbridge: Antique Collectors Club, 1983, 3rd ed. 1994.
Thanks and best wishes,
J. Barry O'Connell Jr.
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