warrug.com! Afghan War Rugs
 

Red War Rugs
"...they offer images of 21st-century realities, including our own, ABSOLUTELY worth pondering" - New York Times
Please click a war rug's picture, title, or number for details.


new		1078
$105

Green Dove, Green Map Tora Bora War Rug
new		538
$135

Late example of ZPU-4 prayer rug. Described in war rug blog post, comparing this war rug with earlier rugs of same style
New condition, full pile,		2031
$225

""Victoria St"" Landscape Rug
This rug is in new condition. Max Allen, in his descriptions in Canada's Textile Museum Exhibition, describes this image thus:
""Flinders Street Station in Melbourne was built in 1854. It is the oldest urban railway station in Australia, and the busiest station in the southern hemisphere.""
. I was told by an Afghan friend that it is the Sultan Hussein Shrine, but I suspect Max is correct.		1437
$250

Beautiful Afghan Province Map Rug
2035
$250

Abstract Horsemen Rug with Dark Border
This is a new rug. Pile wool shows stray fibers which were missed by shearer's clippers. Lightest color is undyed wool. Cobalt blue field is contrasted beautifully by the dark Prussian blue border.		1494
$250

Very Abstract Bridge Rug
This is the most abstract Bridge rug. The same form serves as an automobile and a helicopter. The towers of the bridge stand out well being red outlined in white on blue border. The abstracted airplane on the right of the left bridge tower pushes the envelope of progressive abstraction.		1471
$250

Bridge Rug with Small Buildings Under Arch
This rug's condition is excellent and apparently new. There are a wide variety of marled colors: tan and green, navy and tan, red and navy. Drawing of this rugs motif is unusually refined and abstracted.		1493
$275

Three Panel War Sajada
Good condition. This rug appears not to have been blocked when it was washed after being woven, so it has a slightly bumpy lay. The border is a pattern one sees in published rugs from the 19th century.

This design is a later version of rugs like 1090 (Plate 25 in Pictorial War Rug Book) Plate 25 is from the early 1980s while this rugs is from the mid to late 1990s. Canada's Textile Museum in Canada exhibited an early example of this design which is also interesting because of its unusually large size. 		1438
$300

Small Pixilated War Rug #2
2047
$300

Jacub Khani Small War Rug
2049
$300

Contemporary Eight Lobed Traditional Medallion War Rug
2050
$300

Herat Traffic Circle Rug
New condition with residue of cutting: various stray longer threads. . Nice sheen.		1465
$300

Abstract Victoria St Landscape War Rug
This rug appears to be an abstract version of a rug like this (example) which Max Allen has suggested is Victoria Station in Melborne Australia. The background urban skyline is really beautiful. The similarity between the helicopters at the bottom and the helicopters on the right side is interesting. The main border of this rug is a very old pattern found in antique rugs from the Caucuses to the Afghanistan. The color and wool are reminiscent of Mushwani rugs from before the Afghan Soviet war.		1481
$300

Post 2001 Style War Rug
This is a style of rug which appeared after the boom of interest in war rugs after 2001. This style features a combination of styles found here on warrug.com: 10 Tank style, Car Style, and Rows of Weapons style. I've seem my competition offer these as 		1461
$300

Vine Border Afghan Province Rug with Blue Field
Afghan province map rug showing some roads. Dated clearly 1385 which is 2007 in western calendar.		1470
$300

Afghan Map with Red Border
Most of the Afghan map rugs feature traditional blue field behind map, but this rug has a vivid red background and border. This rug is new condition still showing irregular fuzz from clippers sheers. Province names are listed in English and Dari, and th		1451
$325

City Scene War Rug
This war rug is in new condition with full pile and good colors. This war rug shows a town with tanks going down the main street. Please note the trees sticking out from each side of the main street. This kind of reflected, or specular, design is familiar		1452
$325

Land Mine War Rug (Like Pictorial Book Plate 20)
New, contemporary production		471
$350

Three Panel Airport Sajada (Like Plate 35 in Pictorial War Rug Book)
Excellent condition. Full pile. The cotton warps in this rug are unusual. This design is a later version of rugs like 1090 (Plate 25 in Pictorial War Rug Book) Plate 25 is from the early 1980s while this rugs is from the mid to late 1990s. Canada's Textile Museum in Canada exhibited an early example of this design which is also interesting because of its unusually large size. 		392
$350

Dark Blue Ten Tank Rug with Muted Palette War Rug
The war rug is in like new condition. The olive greens, like ninety nine percent of Baluchi rugs from western Afghanistan has tip fading. The olive green, on back is more vivid, but on face it a lighter more brownish green. The blue filed color has very nice and subtle abrash. The blue color is a slightly tinted Prussian blue. These more recent examples of the Ten Tank design are better executed than the earlier brown ones. This rug is more finely knotted of better wool than examples from the 1990's. The blue field works really well. Also the combination of the large motifs, tanks, and the smaller motifs, birds, rifles, tertiary motifs. There is a good dispersion of colors in the tertiary motifs: olive green, maroon, tan, brown, and burnt sienna. In the earliest example of this rug the word ""Tank Tank"" was clearly written in Farsi script on the sides of each tank. In recent examples though, the script is nearly illegible.

This rug is the mate of #1482		1487
$350

Dark Blue Ten Tank Rug with Light Blue and Pink War Rug
The drawing, colors, and pattern of this rug are excellent. The blue is dark Prussian blue. The light blue is not wool and feels like silk, but it may be mercerized cotton or synthetic. Note, only the light sky blue is not wool. The use of vivid colors is one of the best qualities in tribal rugs. (web blog link to afghan weavers) The freedom of expression and joy of life expresssed in vivid colors, like the light blue and pink in this rug (or the flourescents in other rugs and bags) give this rug a vitality not found in workshop and city rugs. The scattering of small areas of bright colors on dark field works very well, and has a n overall most beautiful effect.		1482
$350

Night Bridge Scene
This rug is in new condition and is unused. The wool is shaggy and new. The exact location depicted in these bridge rugs is unknown (if you know please contact us). This rug is the only night time version. The sky is a extremely dark blue which verges on black. The bridge structure is rendered in red on black with dark grey cables. It is an artistically creative way to render an urban night scene. Traditonal Baluchi motifs fill the sky and sparkle like stars.		1491
$350

White Field War Rug
This is an very nice example of a contemporary rug. The contrasting pictorial masses of the different images makes nice drawing. The border of cars is one of the new border motifs developed since 2001. The most artistic touch of this rug are the red cannons and red line on the tanks and helicopters in the middle of the rug.

Light field Baluchi rugs are really rare, and light field war rugs are the most rare.		1472
$350

Three Big Tanks, Six Small Helicopters and Car Border
The strong design and bold colors employed in this rug make it a beautiful example of a contemporary war rug. The car border is a good indication of a rug woven since 2003. (The predominance of cars in patterns where they were not previously found could be caused by what Kevin Sudeith calls the ""feedback loop"". The ""feedback loop"" is where internet based discussions about war rugs in turn influence production of the newest war rugs. In this example, warrug.com has name a style of war rugs ""Car Style"". Car styel do include cars, but were more disntinctive for their exceptionally fine, lustrous, and translucent wool. The new rugs may emmulate the car motifs, but they fail to employ the distinctive wool of 1980's war rugs.)

Digression aside, this rug shows strong desing and good color. White outlines work well at getting tanks to pop, while brown helicopters push helicopters back in pictorial space.		1477
$350

Tanks and Helicopters with Column of Fighter Jets
Like rug 1478 this rug has structural qualities very similar to ""Ten Tank"" rugs, but the design and colors are new and innovative. The style of rendering and the specific drawings of tanks and helicopters is new since 2001. This rug was chosen from a pile of 20 similar rugs for its vivid color, beautiful blue, good knotting and high quality wool. This is a beautiful example of a contemporary Beluchi war rug.		1473
$380

Tanks, Helicopters and Stylized Fighter Jet War Rug
Very good quality and excellent condition. The border design, color and wool suggests this rug is closely related to classic ""10 Tank"" rugs in spite of difference in field design. The more brighly colored field images: red tanks, green tanks, red fighters give this rug a refreshing brilliance uncommon in ""10 Tank"" rugs. Blue wool is good quality as is blue dye.

The three columns of skinny images on each side and center of field are fighter jets, which have suffered what Nigel Nendon calls ""progressive abstraction"". Example, examle.		1478
$390

Small Ten Tank Style War Rug Featuring Black Tanks.
The wool and knotting of this rug is not like Ten Tank rugs while the design is quite similar. The design difference is the use of different colors in rows of tanks. The sue of black, red, and golden yellow on tanks sets them off very effectively from blue field and blue and tan border. Its difficult to say absolutely, but this rug appears not to be a ""Ten Tank"" rug in spite of its design. Ten Tank rugs tend to have a straight fiber slightly sharp pile wool, and ropey brown warps. This rugs pile wool is curly and soft and its warps are very fine quality blond wool. As mentioned above also, the colors in this rug are not usual. Typically Ten Tank rugs are brown, tan, and blue. This rug has black, red, golden yellow, as well as tow browns.		1475
$395

2008 Jam Minaret Rug
Condition is excellent, as one would expect form a new rug. The landscape drawing is strong in this rug. The 13th Century Ghurid minaret is beautifully depicted. The middle ground is red and tan marled wool. Signed “Tareeq 2008”		1454
$400

Tan Field Peacock and Car War Rug
The color palate of this rug is beautiful and the dispersion of bright red leaves throughout field ads a brilliant sparkle to this design. This is the first rug of this design that we have received since 2000. the field in this rug is darker tan than most. The colors are harmonious with the tan, burgundy, maroon and dark blue haromoniously working together. Also the myriad of small designs scattered throughout field works well.		1483
$400

Small Size Classic Ten Tank Rug
Ten Tanks rugs have tan fields, like this one, but in the past 5 years the tan fields have become rare. 		1462
$400

City Scene with Column of Tanks
1469
$400

Helicopter Border Version of Tank, Bomber Helicopter Style War Rug
This rug appears to be the latest iteration of the Tank, Helicopter, Bomber Style War Rug. The tank and helicopter motifs are reminiscent of Tank, Heli, Bomber style, but more importantly the pile wool, specific shade of blue used in field color, and most indicatively, the warp threads. The design has changed a bit and it is very interesting watching it change.

The overall design of this rug is successfull, particularly for the dispersion of small areas of colors and a variety of motif sizes. The poorly defined border of somewhat inarticulate helicopter is not particularly effective, but it does show will to innovate. One of best design element is the top row of helicopters treads where blue squares are outlined in red. Beautiful.		1476
$400

2003 Rows of Weapons War Rug
This is a contemporary example of a war rug pattern dating to the mid 1980's. (example). The drawing is simplified and exagerated compared to earlier examples, but the overall effect of this rug is excellent. The tan images are outlined in red which pops from the blue background. Similarly, the maroon images are outline in tan making them pop from navy blue background. The navy color of this rug is particularly beautiful and an unusual specific shade of blue. Tan border functions well framing the field of war images. The border design is found in regular afghan Baluchi rugs from Herat and Farah provinces.		1485
$425

Large Tora Bora w/ Little Flower
The condition of this new war rug is good. This rug doesn't quite lay flat which is absolutely perfect for hanging as a great piece of art. The quality of the wool is unsurpassed, it is completely spun by hand and the sheen will become very luxurious over time. This map of Afghanistan is brilliant, with gorgeous mountains depicted by a blue and white speckled pattern and a child-like innocent color use throughout. This war rug is very vibrant, and the inclusion of drawings showing Chinook helicopters and handguns and the unusually drawn F-16s on the bottom makes this rug stand out like no other. Please allow the staff of warrug.com to point out a few more interesting details. Included in the drawing of the tank located on the bottom of this war rug are seats. This pattern is seen in the older Soviet-era rugs and stems from that tradition. There are also images of flowers to the right of the map just above the rifle. The drawing of the Fighter Jets under the Chinook helicopters are particularly nice and give the impression of speed. This is rarely seen in war rugs.		222
$450

Clock Tower War Rug
This rug is very unusual. The wool is very good. The design is unique. It appears to be an adaptation of designs like This war rug #1465 or Plate 36 in Kevin Sudeith's first book about war rugs.. The large clock is unusual relative to similar designs. The white of the tower from which the clock hangs is understated. The foreground of this rug is abstracted, and there are war motifs like helicopters and rifles, scattered throughout the foreground.

The structure of this rug is reminiscent of rugs like war rug #26. It is possible that both of these rugs represent the work of the same weaver some 10 years apart.

The washing of this rug was not totally successful, for one can see some red discoloration in the lighter tans and whites, please see photos. Also note the light purple is an old fashioned analine dye, and significantly tip faded. Most synthetic dyes used in carpets today are no longer analine, but my understanding is that the particular purple in this rug is analyne. Condition notes aside, this is an interesting rug.

One of the subtle, and important, ways I judge rugs is by their weight. The best rugs have a density lacking in more poorly made rugs. Its not so much about knot count, because this rugs knotting is not particularly fine, but when I finished inventorying it and laid it back on the pile I noticed it had that density that speaks so well of rugs.		1488
$475

Small Pixilated Weapons War Rug with Medallions
New condition. Full pile, still has fuzz from shearer's clippers. The lighter cobalt blue inside medallions contrasts beautifully with darker Prussian blue in rug's field.		1460
$475

Spare Afghan Map Rug with Herati Border
The red field in this rug is uncommonly spare.This rug has one very rare feature, two blue beads are sewn into the selvedges On the left hand selvedge about half way between top and bottom, on the right selvedge about one froot from top. . The border is very traditional and a type not often found on Afghan province map rugs. There are no war motifs in this rug.		1492
$475

Three Panel Sajada with Minaret Mihrab
Excellent condition. New, full pile. The design of this rug is unusual. It is a variation on the 'Three Panel Sajada' style, but the meandering road which usually runs back and forth diagonally across rug in this case attractively runs straight up the middle. Also, in stead of a variety of plants and building scattered over the rug's field, this rug had two columns of well drawn planes and helicopters. Most notably though is the change in the top third of the rug. Usually this design has mountains at the top, but in this case the top has been clearly turned into a traditional Afghan mihrab of repeated minarets. It is both attractive, and clearly makes this a prayer rug. Missing from the design are the gates at the bottom.

The earliest example of this design is Rug 1090. Another early example is at the Textile Museum in Canada. Some later examples are here, here, here, here, and here (Plate 35 from Pictorial War Rug book.		1439
$500

Vertical Format Urban Scene
This rug was selected from several examples of similar scenes. This rug is notable and selected for its fine knotting, good colors, funky vehicle running along the bottom and writing. This is perhaps an variation of an excellent shown at Canada's Textile Museum (example). The short pile and dense knotting put this rug in small group of fine pictorial scenes. The red text in the upper right appears to say ""American"" in english text and Farsi is unreadable to this writer except for date. Also notable is the red, outlined in orange, rifle or grenade launcher in the bottom left corner. The vehicles running in a line in middle ground are intersting. They are like vehicles in this land mine war rug (example)		1486
$550

Small Horsemen Rug with Tank, Bus and Helicopters
The horsemen we find in this rug are one of the oldest images in carpets dating back to the oldest rug called the Pazyrik. In the Pazyrik the implication, when combined with the other image , a reindeer, is a hunting scene. In this rug I am reminded of a film interview of Ahmed Shah Masud. The interview was in French and when he was asked his favorite way to get around, ""A horse"", What is his favorite car? ""A horse"". New condition and apparently unused. Rug still has stray extra long pile threads which escaped the shearer's clippers. Moderately abstracted horsemen and images of Afghan buses, one tank, a series of riflesand two helicopters. Natural colored wool border with flower design. Very nice blue field color. Also note the peacocks scattered with guns and abstract designs throughout border.		1490
$600

Two Geometric Medallions War Rug with Helicopter Border
Warrug.com has not had a ""Geometric Medallion"" style war rug for ten years. Example. This is still in new condition. There is still the fuzz on the back that shows rug has never been used on the floor. Besides the fact this style rug is remarkably rare, the most remarkable feature of this rug its helicopter border. This rug was not immediately recognized as a war rug because its border did not stand out. On second viewing it is quite remarkable. The arches drawn in the body of the helicopter are surprising. This is the only rug we have seen which uses this border.		1474
$600

Lion Rug
This older rug shows some wear. Also, knotting is atypical, knots are small and compact, but look oddly pixilated from back. The color blue is exceptional, ant typical of rugs like this with good wool and fine knotting. 		1466
$650

Clock Tower with Helicopters 2 War Rug
This rug, like its mate of similar weave and design, #1484 is the most interesting contemporary rug I have seen. While the helicopters are somewhat non discript, these rugs speak to the International Coalition's actions in western Afghanistan like no other rugs that we have seen.

This rug appears to be woven by the same artist as rug #1484. Besides the similarity of design, the similarity of material is exact. Rug appears new without any floor wear. Fuzz still on back of knots. There is one condition issue of note, there is a two inch cut that runs above first palm tree on left side just above red line over palm tree. Four warps are exposed for two inches, but the warps are unbroken. The wefts are broken and two columns of green and yellow marled knots are missing where cut is. Two columns of 11 knots each are missing. (I will repair this or have it repaired and make note here)

1489
$750

Clock Tower with Helicopters 1 War Rug
This is a new design in the past few years. Nigel Lendon, Max Allen and Kevin Sudeith have debated the monument shown. Sudeith maintains that it is a recently built monument built in a traffic circle in Herat, Afghanistan. Several rugs in our most recent shipment show this monument from several angles. This rug, and one similar example (link), are the best. The helicopters in the top right corner are unique to these two carpets. The helicopters ad excellent scale to whole rug. The emerald green in the cars in the foreground unusual material and doesn't feel like wool. The same material is marled into the first green and tan line on the top edge of the foreground roadway. The variety of marled colors give depth to pictorial space in this landscape rug. The geometric renderings of buildings is particular to these pictorial rugs from western Afghanistan.


Simply put, this rug (and its mate) are the best contemporary war rugs. This rug is great design with timely imagery.

For more information on pictorial war rugs please order Kevin Sudeith's book on the subject.		1484
$750

Blue Field Ten Tank Rug
This rug is the classic “Ten Tank” rug. Overall the condition is very good with out signs of wear. Its wefts are thick 3 shoots, thee brown wool is sharp and stiff. The blue used in this rug is better material and color than other 10 Tank rugs we have 		1456
$750

Black Baghlan w/o Tanks
Condition of this Baghlani war rug is very good. It has full pile, and no damage or repairs. Wool is thick and dense, but not soft of fatty - perhaps it has been harshly washed. Rug has dense felt like feel with softness found in most rugs with a felt like feel. This rugs handle is hard and stiff, consistent with type,
This rug shows lovely birds.		145
$775

Workshop Map Rug with Musalla
919
$925

1980's Pixilated Weapons Rugs
Very good condition. The “Pixilated Weapons Design” war rugs are a very small distinct group of war rugs. This is the classic example with dark brown border, tanks with clearly drawn machine guns on tanks, stylized rockets or fighter jets, pointy topped		1459
$950

2007 City Scene Sumac
Gul I'Birjista is the name of this type of carpet which combines sumac and pile. Parsons says it originated in Afghanistan during the 1960s. Currently, in our regular rug stock we have two sizes Gul I'Birjista rugs, and each size originates in a unique town. From scores of these rugs this is the only one featuring war motifs, specifically an airplane in the top right corner. The background of most Gul I'Birjista rugs is an off white sumac usually woven in a medium quality. The pile is dense and compact. This rug features very old fashioned style kilim skirts of red and blue horizontal stripes. Of the 100's of Gul I'Birjista rugs I have scene less than one percent are pictorial. This is an unusual and collectible rug at a good price because of its recent vintage.		1468
$975

Golden Border War Rug with All Over Tank and Airplane Field
Like new condition. Light border wool clumpy with lanolin. The pattern of this rug is unique. Typically golden border rugs are either all over fighter jet designs, rows of tanks, or two ewer designs. This rug uniquely combines fighter jets, tanks, and		1467
$1200

Pink Field ""Hand of Stalin"" ZPU-4 Prayer / War Rug
There are two editions of this pattern. This is one of the original rugs from 1991. Eighteen months after public discussion between Nigel Lendon, Max Allen and Kevin Sudeith about these early examples a second edition appeared on the market. Sudeith calls this the ""feedback loop"" where public discussion about special war rugs results in production of new example of the pattern.

Again this is the original example the likes of which we have not seen in many years. The border on this rug is exceptional, but there are some condition issues to note. The most remarkable condition issue is a washing problem. The bottom right corner of the field appears to have been unfortunately bleached. At the heart of this washing issue is a one inch square that has been repiled. The overall effect of the repair and washing is not optimal, but does not necessarily inhibit the beauty of this rug. There is natural abrash in the pink field. It is darker at the top, and lightest in the middle. The range of color in the field is not from wahing because the border color is very consistent. The border appears to be undyed wool with a chance that it is camel's wool.

1480
$1200

Baluchi Runner War Rug (Pair 2/2)
new		1311
$1750

Turquoise Two Ewer Rug
The condition of this rug is very unusual. It is floppy beyond anything that warrug.com has ever seen. Each knot has a discreet tuft. Each knot's tuft forms a twisted clump of wool. The pink colors are uneven. The with zigzags of white on the tanks 		1457
$1800

Baba Saqal Design Latif Chel War Rug
This is a very rare Turkmen rug dating from the early 1980s. Baluchi weight and feel, but medallions are called by Parsons ""Baba Saqal"".		2009
$2000

Vase rug with Armor Border
For an 1980s rug this war rug is in good condition. The field blue is oxidized at tips. Pile is still full and complete. Excellent madder red in body of vases. Border tan color appears undyed, as does darker browns, light tans and whites. The drawing		1464
$2250

Beige Field War Rug with Vases of Flowers and Four Helicopters.
Excellent, very good wool, full pile, good sheen, minor well done repair in the field. Little bit of sarnach. Densely knotted. Good thick pile, on scale of 1-100, a 95		980
$2450

Light Field Floral Medallion
This rug is woven by the same artist as this rug The wool and weave of both are very similar, but so is the use of color, border proportions, image scaling. The clincher is the main border designs. Both are great rugs, noteworthy for their color.		2007
$2500

Double Minaret War Rug
Excellent condition. Very short pile. Slightly dusty and one broken warp on right hand edge of large minaret below uppermost green window. 		1463
$2750

Excellent Quality Green Border Ewer War Rug
Strong design. Note the superb luster of this rugs wool.		1066
$4500

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