A Very Special Afghan War Rug

A Very Special War Rug

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:

1. The weapons are an accurate depiction of what was used in battle.
2. It is a new different and attractive design.
3. 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.

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.

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.