An Afghan rug (or Afghan carpet) is a type of handwoven floor-covering textile traditionally made in the northern and western areas of Afghanistan, mainly by Afghan Turkmens and Uzbeks. The industry is being expanded to all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. Afghan rugs have won a number of international awards.The most notable Afghan rugs market in Afghanistan is in the affluent Shahr-e Naw area of Kabul.[8] The cities of Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta in Pakistan as well as Dubai in the United Arab Emirates are also notable for Afghan rugs markets.
Weaving rugs in Afghanistan is an ancient tradition and business, which probably existed for thousands of years. In 2008, 2013, and 2014 Afghan rugs won international awards at an international exhibition held every year in Hamburg, Germany.
One of the most exotic and distinctive of all oriental rugs is the Shindand or Adraskan (named after local Afghan towns), woven in the Herat Province, in western Afghanistan. Strangely elongated human and animal figures are their signature look. The carpet can be sold across Afghanistan with the most based in Mazar-e Sharif.
Another staple of Afghanistan is Baluchi rugs, most notably Baluchi prayer rugs. They are made by Afghanistan’s ethnic Baloch people in the south-western part of the country.
Various vegetable and other natural dyes are used to produce the rich colors. The rugs are mostly of medium sizes. Many patterns and colors are used, but the traditional and most typical is that of the octagonal elephant’s foot (Bukhara) print, often with a red background. The weavers also produce other trappings of the nomadic lifestyle, including tent bags and ceremonial pieces. It will take the women two months to complete this carpet and they will likely earn around 16,000 Afghanis ($185) for their collective efforts. “Normally, eight of us work here,” said 71-year-old Bibi Niaz, who began weaving at the age of 10. “But often, someone is sick, like today. When it is hot, it is hard; my back and shoulders often hurt.”
Traditional rugs from Afghanistan are primarily the Balouch rugs from the west of the country. These are made by nomads and in small villages and usually small format, often as a prayer rug with mihrab (prayer niche) executed. The dominant colors are red and blue, pile, warp and weft are wool or goat hair. From the northwest and north come the well-known Turkmen carpets .
