Rugs of Afghanistan

Nursery Rugs

Owing to the mountainous terrain, donkeys and camels are still used for transport. The climate is ideal for rearing the long fleece sheep, its wool being excellent for carpet weaving.

When asked to describe an Afghan carpet, you either say a golden or red carpet with a repetitive octagonal design woven across its field. Let us first deal with the golden.

These were originally red carpets which have been chemically treated, removing the red, and leaving a golden, brown colour in its place. This treatment has been going on since the early 1920s.

When it was first tried, many thousands of rugs and carpets were ruined because they were burnt by the acid used.