In the last few years I have received numerous emails from United States Servicemen stationed in Afghanistan interested in purchasing a rug to take home when their tour was completed. This email came yesterday and below is my response. I have removed the Major's name to protect his privacy but all else is included. He was pleased to get my email and thanked me. Hopefully, this information will be of some help to other serviceman looking to purchase good quality Afghan rugs.
Dear Ms. Krieger
I love your website! I was wondering if you had any advice for dealing with
the local rug dealers that are here in Afghanistan? I purchased one rug a few years
ago when I was here and absolutely love it. Of course, I’m really not sure of
the value of it but I really don’t care because I am not selling it. The
seller, a man nicknamed “Smiley” said the rug was from Mazar-I-Sharif but has a
Turkman Gul pattern and is a beautiful deep red. Does this make sense? I would
like to purchase one more before leaving. Is there anything in particular I
should look for?
I really suppose there is no reason
you should take the time to answer my questions, but I would appreciate it if
you did! Thank you for any information you could provide!
Sincerely,
Maj M W
Camp Bastion, Afghanistan
My response:
Dear M W,
Here is some info I sent to another person in Afghanistan with a few more details added.
Wow, I get a lot of these! Hope you are safe!
Here is a link to an
article on my blog talking about value.
What makes a rug valuable?
Yes,
there are good quality Turkoman rugs from Mazar-I-Sharif. The very best
Turkoman rugs look like this:
small Turkoman rug.
It's very hard to photograph red rugs but look for fine weave and this design. This type of rug is called Khawja Roshnaie. I personally consider these some of the very best rugs available from Afghanistan. They have beautiful deep reds, usually with the above type of design or variations on this theme and when seen will command your attention. They actually talk!
The current trend is to buy rugs woven with plant based dyes and
hand-spun wool but there are/were many
rugs from Afghanistan that are excellent
such as the Turkoman rugs that are not usually veg dyes. The best Turkoman rugs
are very finely woven. They are mostly red and some of them have a lot of heart. You should notice on the very best pieces that the weaver was careful to do the edges of the rug, very neatly, the lines of knots on the back will be tight and even, the rug will be slightly floppy but NOT LOOSE. The color should be a deep, wine red with navy, very dark navy is OK but not black accents. It's not easy to describe what occurs when you look at thousands of rugs but trying my best here.
Look at as many rugs as you can and since you are in a
county where the cost of living is lower, try for a "best
price". Look for problems on the rug. Is it crooked? Any moth damage? Check the front and the back of the rug. Fold it in half. Do the sides match up? Does it lay evenly? Also, you do not want a stiff rug as mentioned above. Is
there color run? Look carefully. Ask to see the dealers best piece in a specific size. Get his price. Then ask to see his least expensive rug in the same size. Get the price. Compare the two.
The least mysterious aspect of the rug IS: Is it beautiful?
Are the colors harmonious within the rug? Does it command your attention? If you cannot take your eyes off the rug, I'd say the odds are good you have a potential keeper! Now, go look at someone else's rugs and do that 3 or 4 times! You'll
start to get a clue.
Also, look over some of the rugs on my galleries.
Or, do a search, put in Turkoman in the search box, then press the enter key on
your keyboard. Put the word Afghan in the search box
or just browse.
Rug gallery.
Also, on the veg
dyed rugs, the wool should be good (smooth to the touch) and the colors VERY
pleasing to the eye. The wool should not be stiff or dry but have a bit of a
sheen. These do not have to be that tightly woven. 150 knots per square inch is
good enough. The design should not be blurry. The best quality Afghan veg dyes
types are breathtaking.
I also have a video channel that may be of help. Just pick out something that interests you and have a look. All the rug videos are less than 3 minutes and there are a few with some Afghan rugs.
Oriental Rug Videos
Hope that helps!
Best Regards,
Penny
www.paradiseorientalrugs.com
