rug;
prayer-carpet
- Museum number
- 2010,6013.11
- Description
-
Woven Afghan war rug with a beige ground and brown and blue borders. Designed in the form of a prayer-rug with a niche (mihrab) design which is placed on the ground in the direction of the holy Ka'ba at Mecca. The central field is replete with helicopters, fighter jets, tanks and fragmentation grenades. Weavers' combs (a tool used to pack the weft by beating down the rows of pile knots to give a dense knotting to the rug) and stylised flowers and trees are used as space fillers in the main design. Four decorative borders with geometric and floral patterns frame the central panel.
- Production date
- early 1980s
- Dimensions
-
Length: 140 centimetres (incl. tassels)
-
Width: 85 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- This rug is possibly made by Taimani women, a small tribe located in the central mountain regions of Afghanistan. They belong to a larger cluster of tribes, the Char Aimaq, who are scattered throughout Afghanistan and Iran. They are named after their forebear, Taiman, a Kakar Pushtun who built up a coalition in the mountains of Ghor around 1650. The Taimani speak Persian (Farsi) with some Turkic (Aimaq) vocabulary. The primary occupation of Taimani women is carpet weaving. Each tribe or town has its own unique pattern, which is passed down from mother to daughter. The women use portable looms to make fine, wool carpets. When food sources are low, the money earned from the carpet sales may be the only means of survival for the Taimani. The carpets, along with livestock and cash, are also used as bridal wealth.
- Location
- Not on display
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited
2014 7 Jun - 23 Nov. Venice, 'Fundamentals: The 14th International Architecture Exhibition'
2013 25/01 - 07/07 Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry - "Caught in the Crossfire: artistic responses to conflict, peace and reconciliation".
- Condition
- Fair
- Acquisition date
- 2010
- Acquisition notes
- Part of a collection donated on 4 April 2010 when they were placed on deposit (Deposit no: 789).
- Department
- Middle East
- Registration number
- 2010,6013.11