Home
> Products > Rugs from Afghanistan
Belouch
| Karghai |Hatchlu
|Khal Mohammadi
Belouch
Our Belouchi rugs are a mix of
Persian and Afghan tribal production. Their goods are traditionally
sold in 
the
spectacular cities of Maschad or Herat. They tend to be in all-over
geometric designs using dark reds and blues for colouration, though
beige is also found. Orange, gold, white and green are also used as
secondary colours. Sizes tend to be standardized from 4' x 2' up to
5' x3', with some larger pieces found occasionally. Belouch rugs are
quite fine - the finest of all the tribal weaves in large-scale production
today and represent very good value for money. The Afghan and Turkoman
influence can be seen by the use of the polygonal motif (known as guls
or elephant's foot) as the various tribes intermingle. They are generally
woven with a wool pile on a woolen warp. The selvedges are finished
using goats wool which is meant to deter snakes entering the tent or
hut.
Sizes available include: 4'6x2'3 and 5x3.
Karghai
Due to the current unrest in Afghanistan,
we have been making most of our current purchases of these 
goods
in Pakistan. Here, there are camps of Afghani people of Turkoman origin
taking refuge from the conflict. They have taken to their new circumstances
with typical fortitude, setting up looms within the refugee camps to
bring in revenue for their extended families. However, with the fall
of the Taliban most refugees are returning to Afghanistan and restarting
weaving at home. There is only one set layout for the traditional designs
of the whole Turkoman area, several rows of of repeating octagonal or
other polygonal motifs, known as guls, on a red, beige or blue ground
(or tones of these colours). These are usually interspersed with another
set of repeating motifs (secondary guls), the whole encased in a rich
array of narrow geometric borders. Each tribe or sub-tribe has its own
gul and we have examples of Tekke, Yomut and Ersari tribal motifs within
our stock.
Sizes available include: 3x2, 4'6x2'3, 5x3, 6x4, 7x5, 8x5, 9x6,
10x8, 12x9 and 10ft runners.
Hatchlu
This special design in the form
of four or more panels, known as Hatchlu (meaning 'cross'), is the typical
door 
hanging
at the entrance to a nomads yurt (tent). They are made the same way
as any hand-knotted carpet and have gained enormous popularity as area
rugs in the West. They are also known as Purdah in Afghanistan and Ensi
in Iran. They should not be mistaken for prayer rugs as there is no
evidence for this dual use. Some people attribute the squares as representing
door panels.
Sizes available include: 5x3, 6x4, 7x5, 8x5, 9x6, 10x8 and 12x9
Khal Mohammadi
Khal Mohammadi was a Master Dyer
in the city of Kabul in Afghanistan around 150 years ago. He started
to
commission a much higher grade of Afghan carpet using traditional, though
more unusual tribal designs. The workshop was eventually taken over
by his family after his death and continued in production until World
War 2, when the ravages of this time ceased the weaving of these remarkable
quality rugs. This means true Khal Mohammadi rugs should be over 50
years old. We currently buy these pieces in the bazaar of Peshawar in
Pakistan, as the refugees from the current conflict in Afghanistan bring
out with them some of these wonderful examples of the weaver and dyers
art. However, we also believe there is new production of these rugs
mixed in with the older pieces at the bazaar.
Sizes available include: 5x3, 6x4, 7x5, 8x5 and 9'9x6'6.
India
| Pakistan | Turkey
| Iran | Afghanistan
| Underlays
*All prices are in Canadian Dollars*
