Rugs of War :

War rugs and their History.

As the Mujahideen rose up in retort of the Socialist Afghani government, requests were sent to the Soviet Union for assistance. In 1979, these requests were granted via military aid, starting a 10 year long, destructive conflict in Afghanistan. Soviet troops, serving under Leonid Breszhnev, began a tactic of scorched earth to deny the Mujahideen refuge in Afghanistan. This involved the spreading of hundreds of thousands of land mines across the country, and air strikes upon villages of Mujahideen and citizens alike to eradicate any potential resistance in the area.

Soviet troops had planned to crush Afghan opposition, and withdraw within 6 months to a year, however, the fierce counterattacks from Mujahideen troops and rugged mountain terrain made this difficult. The struggle continued until 1987, when Mikhail Gorbachev announced his withdraw from the region, and by 1989, they had disappeared completely. This left the Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan, or the ADPA, defenseless, and by 1991, the government had been toppled and thoroughly replaced by the Mujahideen.

The War on Terror:

A New Market.

Following the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, the United States declared war on Taliban held Afghanistan and invaded. This marked the beginning of a two decade long struggle in the region, as well as a new market for Afghani weavers to reach.

Unlike the Soviet rugs, the rugs here are more numerous, as not only America but its allies as well could be sold to. The rug on the right depicts exactly this, reading “ Root out Terrorism with Help of America and Britain. “ These rugs did not just depict Afghani wars, however.

Throughout the war, some 300,000 refugees fled from Afghanistan to Pakistan, a country that supported the Mujahideen’s uprising in opposition of the Soviet Union. As they settled on the borders of Pakistan in large groups, they began to weave rugs detailing the conflict they had seen and experienced within Afghanistan. It is important to note that while it is easy to attribute an emotional connotation to these rugs, they were often woven to be bought, and filled the needs of the market. While it is certain the weavers expressed their grief and fear through other outlets, these rugs were meant to tell stories to outsiders looking in on the conflict.

The rug on the left showcases this visual storytelling, depicting many of the weapons used throughout the war. The Kalashnikov, a famous Ak-47 developed in 1974, sits bottom center amongst an RPG. Above it are tanks adorned with grenades of varying make. At the top is a misspelled depiction reading “ The forces of the USSR are coming out from Afghanistan. “

2021:

The Departure.

A 80’s Afghani war rug, depicting a map of Afghanistan swarmed by artillery and weaponry.

The rug shown here depicts the 9/11 attacks, complete with two flags on the bottom. On the left, the American flag, followed by the flag of Afghanistan on the right. Above both is a dove, symbolizing peace. This was most likely woven to inspire American troops to purchase from Afghani weavers, in a gesture of support for the tragedy and good will towards both.

Beside it is another depiction of 9/11, this time the bottom is adorned with a US military cruiser, showing the consequences of the 9/11 attacks and the subsequent declaration of the War on Terror, once again uniting conflict in Afghanistan.

The last War Rugs woven recently are of the United States withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021. The left showcases this event, as citizens fall from a plane marked USA onto a desolate landscape, and the text under it reading “ The Falling of Afghanistan. “

Perhaps the most emotional of the collection, only time will tell what rugs will be woven next, and of what acts of war they will depict.