Depictions of weaponry began to be incorporated into the designs on traditional hand-knotted Afghan rugs shortly after the invasion of the country by Soviet forces in 1979. Many of these ‘war rugs’ (or aksi) were originally made by female camp refugees along the Afghan-Pakistan border and were then sold in bazaars in northern Pakistan.

This example was produced near Kabul in 2008. It is of a common type, featuring principally an AK-47 assault rifle at the bottom and a map of Afghanistan in the centre. The scene may show the Soviet withdrawal in 1988–89. Armoured vehicles are seen leaving along the Salang highway, the main route north towards the mountains. There are also images of tanks, personnel carriers, grenades, rocket launchers, and helicopters. The Persian writing across the top (partially obscured) translates as, ‘the forces which made this condition of Afghanistan should get out from Afghanistan.’