Following the onset of Soviet and, later, US military activity in Afghanistan, their embedded tradition of storytelling through weaving began to feature the iconography of modern warfare. This is the publication for the seminal exhibition by the same title, which investigates the history, iconography, production and distribution of a selection of extraordinary Afghan War rugs woven during key historical conflicts in the region over the past 40 years, from the curators’ shared private collection.

This catalogue includes essays by lawyer and cultural arts historian, Tim Bonyhady and Nigel Lendon – artist, academic and curator, as well as a foreword by Afghani Rug specialist and collector, Sabur Fahiz. I weave what I have seen: The War Rugs of Afghanistan surveys handwoven rugs from key historical conflicts in the region over the past 40 years.

Softcover