War rugs

Contemporary version of the Layla and Majnun story

The war rug tradition of Afghanistan has its origins in the decade of Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979, and has continued through 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. They continue to do so today in the wake of the United States' 2001 invasion of Afghanistan which ousted the Taliban government of Mullah Omar but has failed to bring an end to violence in the country. The rugs produced in response to these events are among the world's richest traditions of war art of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The terms Baluch and war rug are generalisations 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.

Little is known about the circumstances of war rugs' production and distribution, or their makers' intentions.

Literature

Jürgen Wasim Frembgen and Hans Werner Mohm: Lebensbaum und Kalaschnikow. Krieg und Frieden im Spiegel afghanischer Bildteppiche, Gollenstein Verlag (publishers), Blieskastel (in Germany), 2000. This is the first known serious and detailed study of any substance in the field of the so-called "War Rugs" from Afghanistan

External links

• Fyke Collection of Afghan War Rugs is a digital collection of 48 textiles produced by Afghan weavers in response to three decades of war. The rugs were donated to The Nickle Arts Museum at the University of Calgary by Robert Fyke (July 1966 - Jan. 2009)
• the rugsofwar weblog at the Australian National University includes a range of images and comprehensive links and a comprehensive bibliography.
• Ron O'Callaghan (2003). "Afghan War Rugs: A Sub-group With Iranian Influence". rugreview.com. http://www.rugreview.com/stuf/afgwar.htm. Retrieved 2006-01-04. 
• Graham Gower (2003). "Afghan War Rugs". wanadoo.co.uk.com. Archived from the original on 2005-12-18. http://web.archive.org/web/20051218011859/http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/afghanwarrugs. Retrieved 2006-01-05. 

• Kevin Sudeith (2002). "Index of war rugs for research and sale". warrug.com. http://www.warrug.com. Retrieved 2008-02-13. 

• Mascelloni Enrico (2009). "War rugs, The Nightmare of Modernism". warrug.com. http://www.caravancafe.it. Retrieved 2008-06-24. 

• Johanna Litzen e Nicola Guerra (2010). "Dai kalashnikov alle twin towers: l’iconografia di guerra dei tappeti afgani". larondine.fi. http://www.larondine.fi/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=885&Itemid=1. Retrieved 2011-02-18. 

• Rolf Sachsse: "Geknüpfter und gewebter Krieg. Militärische Motive auf afghanischen Teppichen", in: Zeithistorische Forschungen/Studies in Contemporary History, Online-Edition, Vol. 3, Nr. 2, 2006 [1] In German.